


I Saw the Stars In Your Tail

by craigtuckeradvocate



Category: South Park
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Deaf AU, M/M, look I came up with the deaf Craig AU and this sort of just happened, mermaid au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-03
Updated: 2018-04-07
Packaged: 2019-03-13 00:03:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 25
Words: 108,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13558431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/craigtuckeradvocate/pseuds/craigtuckeradvocate
Summary: When Craig Tucker was just three years old, he suffered permanent hearing loss from an illness that nearly killed him. Now, at eighteen, Craig continues the daily struggle of being the only deaf person in his quiet mountain town. However, on an impromptu trip to the aquarium with some friends, he finds an unlikely person using sign language to communicate with him: the mermaid trapped behind the glass.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So remember that break from writing I mentioned? Yeah, I had a mental breakdown today and needed to write! Ha! So I'm back! I will more than likely space out my posting this time around (every day was absolutely killer), but I am SO EXCITED for you all to read this! Hope you enjoy! And a very special thank you to ShinyVapor (her username on tumblr is shinyvapor26!) for helping me finalize the beginning of this story! Give her story "South Kingdom" a read! It's absolutely killer!

_The cool salt water felt relaxing against his fingertips as they rode out to sea. It was just like every summer of Craig’s childhood: they spent most of it at the beach, often taking rides out on his Uncle’s boat to go fishing and swimming. Craig loved the ocean. The vastness of it reminded him of space, which was his favorite thing of all time. He sat by his father near the back of the little boat, his hand hanging over the edge to feel the water rush past. He felt a tap on his shoulder, turning to see his sister. Tricia smiled, pointing towards their mother. She motioned for him to come to her, Craig happily making his way to the front of the sail boat. Everything happened so fast in that instance. He watched his mother’s eyes widen, he heard a muffled scream, and then he felt a sharp pain in his head. He saw stars, and then he felt wet. Was he sinking? Or was he falling? He opened his eyes, noticing the ship disappearing as he sunk into the blue depths. He wanted to breath, but something in his fuzzy mind was telling him not to. He turned his head, blinking as he saw someone. Was he going crazy? Is this what you see before you die? No, it was definitely a boy. He felt hands on his sides, his vision clearing up. His eyes widened, seeing the pale boy in front of him. He had wavy blonde hair, piercing green eyes, freckles, slightly pointed ears. **Wait**. Pointed ears?! That wasn’t normal!  Craig blinked, trying to move away as he realized he was drowning. _

_“Shhh, it’s okay,” He blinked as he heard a voice. How could he hear a voice? He was underwater!  The boy’s lips were moving. “I’m going to help you,” Craig tried to swim up to the surface, the boy helping by pushing him upwards. Craig blinked, looking down. His eyes widened. Did he just see a **tail**?! Craig gasped for air as his face broke the surface of the water, coughing as he whipped around to try and find the boy that he saw. He felt the hands leave his body, quickly diving back under to try and find the boy. Maybe he needed help, too! He twisted his body around, catching a glimpse of an olive-green tail as his family finally looped around to get him. Before he surfaced, Craig swore he heard the voice again. “Be careful next time!” _

            Craig gasped, sitting upright in his bed. He sighed after catching his breath, running his hands down his face to wipe the cold sweat that formed away. He glanced back, checking the time. Of course, Craig managed to wake up five minutes before his alarm for school. Grumbling as he turned his alarm off on his phone, Craig shoved the covers aside and made his way down the hall to the shower. He let the scalding water run over him, his eyes shut as he recalled his last few minutes of restless sleep. The dream didn’t come to him every night, but it has always been a reoccurring dream for as long as he could remember. It wasn’t a nightmare, but it always frightened him. The face of the boy that helped him always resonated within him. Had he seen this person somewhere before? Or was he simply the most beautiful person Craig’s mind could come up with? He couldn’t tell, and that’s what frustrated Craig the most: _that damn blonde-haired boy._ Craig sighed as he stepped out of the shower. _At least it’s Friday_. After getting changed for school, he stood at his mirror, adjusting his hair a bit before grabbing his hearing aids off the night stand. Yes, Craig Tucker had hearing aids. When he was three, he contracted an illness that left him with permanent hearing loss after nearly dying. As Craig got older, he found his hearing had continued to decline. He got his first pair of hearing aids when he was ten, absolutely loathing the things. They made him look stupid, but as Craig got older, the more he grew to like them. He was pretty much deaf at this point, and of course, no one in this fucked up mountain town knew sign language (except for his parents and sister). He let out a huff, tugging his blue chullo over his head. Craig appreciated the hat for hiding his hearing aids, his mother buying the ratty hat for him the first winter he had them. It’s been his most prized possession since then (except for his telescope, maybe). Grabbing his shoes and backpack, Craig made his way to the kitchen for breakfast, his mother and sister already downstairs (his dad has since left for work).

            “ _Good morning, honey!”_ His mother signed, Craig kissing her cheek.

            “Morning mom.” He said, often speaking at times once conversation has been initiated. Craig could read lips, but he still struggled at times.

            “Any plans today?” She asked, Craig watching her mouth move.

            “I think the guys wanted to go to the aquarium tonight.” Tricia hummed, looking up.

            “I miss the aquarium. I always liked to see the manatees.” Craig furrowed his brows.

            “The what?” Tricia thought a moment.

            “ _Manatees_.” She spelled out for him with her hands, Craig nodding after she finished spelling.

            “Oh! Yeah, they’re fun to look at.” Craig thanked his mom as she handed him his breakfast, humming in approval at the fresh food. Laura Tucker always spoiled her children with a nice breakfast, and Craig and Tricia Tucker were always thankful. After they finished eating and kissing their mother goodbye, Craig and Tricia climbed into the car, Tricia tapping Craig’s shoulder to get his attention.

            “ _Can I try driving?”_ She signed, Craig glaring at her. He flipped her off, Tricia groaning as she flopped back in her seat. The middle finger was also Craig’s way of saying “no”.

* * *

Craig stared intently at his teacher, having to close his eyes to stop himself from screaming. _Why are you talking so fast?!_ He thought, trying to write down the notes as quickly as possible. South Park High knew of Craig’s deafness, but did they have the money for an interpreter? Nope. So, Craig was forced to struggle in reading the lips of his inconsiderate teachers and growing more and more frustrated by the day. Thank god it was the last half of junior year and senior year was on the horizon. He looked around as everyone started packing up, sighing in relief as this now meant he could _finally_ get lunch. After waiting way too long for food that was way too gross, Craig plopped down at his lunch table where Clyde, Token, and Jimmy were waiting for him.

            “Craig! Are you still coming to the aquarium tonight?!” Clyde asked, Craig blinking as he thankfully was able to read the word _aquarium_ on Clyde’s lips.

            “Yeah, dude. It’s not like I have many other things to do on a Friday night.”

            “Can you drive us?” Token said with a grin. Craig glared.

            “Why?!”

            “My car is in the shop, Jimmy can’t drive, and Clyde doesn’t have his license yet.”

            “You didn’t give me much of an option there, did you?”

            “I-I-I’ll h-happily try-try my hand at driv-driving. D-Don’t know if-if I want the deaf g-g-guy driving me a-around.” Craig flipped Jimmy off, causing Token to snort.

            “You heard all that?”

            “Barely, but I got the jist of it.” Craig chuckled, taking a bite of what he thinks was a hamburger. Or maybe it was a chicken patty? He wasn’t sure, but it filled the emptiness in his stomach.

            “Did you hear the rumor that the aquarium has a new exhibit?” Clyde looked way too excited.

            “What do you mean by new exhibit? How many more creatures can there be in the ocean?” Token snorted, sipping at his water.

            “That’s the thing! Apparently, they found _mermaids_!” Craig furrowed his brows.

            “What?” Clyde thought a moment.

            “M-E-R-M-A-I-D-S!” He shouted slowly, Craig rolling his eyes.

            “Got it,” He blinked. “Wait, really?” Clyde nodded, a grin on his face.

            “I hope she’s hot!”

            “Clyde, i-i-it could v-very well just-just be a woman in-in a c-c-costume.” Jimmy said, taking a bite of his pizza. Clyde snorted.

            “If it is, I’ll sue the aquarium because that’s so lame! That’s fraud!”

            “Clyde, need I remind you that _mermaids don’t exist!_ And even if they did, it’s _cruel_ to put them in an aquarium! They’re literally humans with a tail!” Token said, Craig following along as he read his lips. Craig jumped as someone slid into the table next to him.

            “Oh, Jesus Christ.” He grumbled, Kenny McCormick tossing his arm around Craig as Kyle, Stan, and Eric slid into the table as well.

            “Hey dudes, we heard you were going to the aquarium.” Stan said, taking a bite of his apple.

            “Can we join?” Kyle asked, batting his eyelashes. Craig snorted at the notion.

            “I mean…why not?” Token said. The two groups had some troubles in the past with Craig and Stan having some unsaid rivalry, but as they matured, they came to realize that they were the most normal group of guys in South Park (despite having done some not so normal things in their youth).

            “Aw gee, maybe we can find Craig here a boy toy!” Kenny teased, Craig’s face turning bright red. It was no secret that Craig was gay, hell, he came out in sixth grade. However, the problem was that _there were no gay dudes in South Park_. Well, Kenny and him fooled around last year, but there was no romantic connection, and Craig never told a soul that that’s what he really wanted: romance.

            “Did you guys hear about the new mermaid shit?! It’s gonna be fucking _rad as fuck_!” Eric slammed his heavy fists on the table, Craig rolling his eyes.

            “Christ, Cartman, I’m deaf and I can hear you!” Craig hissed, Cartman’s brows furrowing.

            “Tucker, I’ll kick your-HEY! Don’t take your hearing aids out!” Craig snorted, tucking his hearing aids in his pocket. Sometimes being deaf had its perks, such as being able to tune Eric Cartman out whenever he wanted.

* * *

 

The aquarium had vastly improved since the last time Craig had been there, a plethora of bright colors, exhibits, and activities to do. They wandered past a bunch of fish, Clyde most excited about the tunnel that was under water and had sharks swimming over top of it.

            “Look at that one! _Fuck_ I want to pet one!” He practically squealed, watching the sharks swim above and besides him.

            “Do us all a favor and pet one with your head.” Kyle teased, Craig letting out a laugh a few seconds after Kyle finished talking as he processed what his lips read. Kyle smirked at that, glancing back at Craig.

            “That’s rude as shit, Kyle.” Clyde whined, turning around to look ahead. He stopped, grinning slowly.

            “Dude what-”

            “ _Touch tank!_ ” Clyde rushed ahead, kneeling down next to a little girl as he rolled his sleeves up.    

            “Dude, sweet!” Cartman shouted, rushing over next to Clyde. Craig snickered, walking over slowly with Jimmy.

            “Want me to hold you up a bit?” He offered Jimmy, who shook his head.

            “N-No thanks. S-Sting-sting rays f-freak me out.” Craig nodded after he processed everything, walking over and rolling his sleeve up. He hummed, sticking his hand into the water. It felt good against his warm skin, relaxing him.

 _“Shh it’s okay, I’m going to help you!”_ Craig whipped around, hearing that voice that was in his dreams. Was he daydreaming? How long had he had his hand in the water? He shook his head, smiling softly as the stingray swam under his fingertips. He hummed, the animal stopping momentarily to let Craig rub it’s back.

            “Hey buddy.” Craig whispered to himself, the stingray continuing on.

            “Where’s this so-called mermaid exhibit at?” Stan asked, pocketing his phone as they all stood up. Kenny looked around.

            “The arrow points this way!” He said, leading the way down the hall. Craig sighed, tugging his hand out of the water as he felt Jimmy nudge him with his crutch. He wiped his hand on his pant leg, stuffing his hands into his pockets as they made their way down the hall. He wasn’t in any rush. It was more than likely, like Jimmy said, some busty woman in an outfit that they were trying to sell as a mermaid. Craig, to be honest, was more interested in everything _but_ this so-called mermaid exhibit. He made sure to stop every now and then at the tanks, watching the way the sea turtles moved or the jellyfish float or the way the manatees seemed to meander through the water. As Craig turned his head around from the manatees (after taking a picture of them and sending it to Tricia), he noticed a big crowd pressed against a particular tank. He assumes this is the “mermaid” that the aquarium has been hyping up. He let out a sigh, staying towards the back of the crowd. _Why are we at this phony exhibit?_

            “Craig!” Clyde waved at him, Craig shaking his head.

            “It’s just some woman-”

            “It’s not a woman!” Kenny shouted, Craig blinking as he read his lips. _Not a woman?_ Craig didn’t want to admit it, but he was now _slightly_ interested. He made no effort to move, however, not until Token walked up to him.

            “You…you’re gonna want to see this.” Craig blinked. Token was the most intelligent person he knew; how could he fall for such bullshit?!

            “Token, it’s just some person in a cos-”

            “It isn’t, dude. It…it’s actually a _mermaid_.” Craig sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.  Grumbling under his breath, he pushed his way through the crowd.

            “This better be fucking worth my god damn-” Craig froze, his eyes widening as he finally saw the entirety of the tank. It wasn’t the largest tank, maybe about the half the size of the gymnasium at school? He wasn’t sure, but regardless, it was a small tank for the contents inside. There were rocks all over the sandy floor along with seaweed and other fish swimming around. There, plain as day on the rock, laid a mermaid. However, Craig is taken aback by the fact _he’s seen him before_. Those bright green eyes were unmistakable, those pointed ears were so unique, his freckles were as beautiful as ever, and _the olive-green tail_. It was longer than the last time Craig saw it. _Wait_. _It was all a dream, though. That day…the ocean…it was a dream!_ Craig felt like he couldn’t breathe. He had been so convinced it was a dream! He rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands until he saw stars, the images flooding his mind. _You’re losing your mind, Tucker!_ He tugged his chullo off, the felt lining making him sweat. He froze as the mermaid looked up, his green eyes widening slowly. He made his way over to the glass, his body moving with such grace and ease in the water. Craig could see where his pale skin morphed to meet shimmering olive-green scales, hints of a purplish silver reflecting off the edges of each scale. Craig took a step to the glass, the mermaid pressing his hands against his side of the tank. Craig noticed his finger nails were pointed, he had two earrings in his cartilage on his left ear and one in his right cartilage, and he had a small septum piercing, but the gold color of it blended in against his pale skin. The mermaid’s eyes looked Craig up and down, smiling a bit as he noticed the hearing aids in Craig’s ears. _He has a nice smile_.

            “Oh, Christ, is Craig gonna become a fish fucker?” Stan snorted, Craig not even reacting. The mermaid pushed off from the glass, but still stayed close. His tail moved to keep him in place, Craig’s eyes widening as he did the unthinkable: _use sign language_.

            “ _Do you remember me?”_ Craig felt like he was going to faint. Had this dream been real this entire time?! It couldn’t be! _Mermaids aren’t real!_ Even with one right in front of him, Craig knew this couldn’t be real. He noticed the mermaid had shaky hands, but he was still able to communicate effectively.

            “ _Are you real_?” He signed back slowly, ignoring the feeling of a hundred eyeballs on him. The mermaid laughed a bit.

            “ _Of course. I was real back then, too_.” Craig let out a shaky breath, swallowing the lump in his throat.

            “ _That was real? I thought it was a dream!”_ He frantically signed, his eyebrows furrowing.

            “Dude, what the fuck is happening?” Kenny whispered to Token, who stared at his friend in disbelief.

            “Craig…Craig is having a full-blown conversation _with a mermaid_.” The mermaid grinned at Craig.

            “ _It was real! Your head was hit pretty hard_.”

            “ _How long were you watching us?”_ The blonde blushed, sitting on a nearby rock, his long tail tucked to the side.

            “ _I had been following your boat. I saw your hand in the water and I just…I was so interested_.” Craig ran his hands down his face, trying to process everything. So much was happening in his mind. One: the dream _he thought_ was a dream turns out to have actually happened! It has been eight years since that “dream” started occurring and it turns out to _be real_!? Two: he was talking to a _mermaid_! He felt like he was going crazy.

            “ _This isn’t real. How is this real?”_ The mermaid frowned.

            “ _Look, I know this is hard to take in. You humans just assumed we weren’t real after that rumor of us singing to lure sailors took over. Those are **sirens,** not mermaids. However, I can assure you that there are just as many mermaids out there as there are humans_.” Craig’s eyes widened, his fingers tangling into his hair.

            “Fuck.” He hissed between his teeth.

            “What?! What is he saying?!” Cartman begged, Craig ignoring his friends yet again.

            “Oh, God dammit!” Kyle groaned.

            “ _Why did you leave that day? After helping me?”_ The mermaid thought a moment.

            “ _My father had warned me about getting too close to humans…I mean…look where I am now…”_ Craig frowned as the mermaid smiled sadly, his heart clenching in his chest. This was someone who was just as human as he was, if not more (despite the entire tail thing). He sighed, biting his lip.

            “ _I’m sorry you’re here…_ ”

            “ _Me too…will you…visit more? No one seems to know sign language…”_

_“Why do you know it?”_

_“All mermaids know it. We can talk underwater to each other, but when people are swimming near us, we don’t want to draw too much attention to ourselves. If we need to talk to each other while humans are swimming, we use sign language_.” Craig thought a moment before shrugging.

            “ _Makes sense.”_ The mermaid smiled a bit.

            “ _What’s your name_?”

            “ _Craig_.” He spelled out. The mermaid pressed his hands against the glass, ignoring how everyone took pictures of him as if he was some wild creature. Sure, not many people have seen a mermaid before, but he was also _half human_.

            “Craig, dude, talk to us!” Clyde whined, crossing his arms. Craig didn’t break his eye contact with the mermaid in front of him.

            “We’ve met before…” Craig murmured, Stan furrowing his brows.

            “What the _fuck_ does that even mean, dude?!” Craig ignored his friends once again.

            “ _What’s **your** name?” _ The mermaid smiled, Craig’s heart fluttering as he slowly spelled out his name.

            “ _Tweek_.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wowie! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! To clarify: any text in italics that is in quotation marks is them using sign language! Also: I know very minimal sign language despite having deaf grandparents (I know how to spell my name, say "I love you", thank you, and grandma/grandpa)! But I do know a lot about deafness! If you haven't already, give my other stories a read and follow my tumblr! crowded-skies.tumblr.com and any and all feedback is appreciated! :)


	2. Chapter 2

They had spent far too long standing at the tank, Craig eventually waving goodbye to Tweek. The blonde smiled sadly as he walked away, closing his eyes once he was out of sight. He swam back over to his rock, people groaning in frustration as he swam away. He wasn’t going to entertain their fantasies. Tweek rested his arm on the rock, leaning his head into the crook of his elbow. His finger drew circles in the sand, his eyes closing as he felt a fish nuzzle against his cheek. Tweek glanced up at the blue fish, the colors reminding him of Craig’s hat. He smiled a bit, rubbing its side. Flashes from cameras were hard to ignore, but Tweek managed.

            “He’ll be back, sweetie.” He whispered to the fish, watching it swim up. He let out a sigh, trying to occupy himself. _They could’ve at least given me something to do_. The sound of someone walking on metal broke his trance, looking up to see someone tossing fish food into the tank on the walkway that extended across the length of the tank. He quickly swam up, reaching his arms up to pull himself up out of the water. The employee jumped, glaring at Tweek.

            “Your food is coming.”

            “Can I at _least_ have something to do? It’s boring as shit down there.” The employee snorted, Tweek looking to read his nametag. _Jack._

            “You have quite the mouth on you.”

            “All that time trying to woo sailors really affects your language.” He purred, running his finger up his ankle. Jack shivered, shaking his head to escape the trance. Okay, so mermaids could woo people if they really wanted to, but not with songs like sirens (and it wasn’t to kill, either. Mainly just to get things from them).

            “Look, I was just told to feed the damn fish.”

            “Can’t I get an otter in here with me? Or a dolphin? A turtle? Something other than fish?” He leaned his head against his arm, batting his eyelashes at Jack. His face flushed red as he finished feeding the fish, kneeling down to face Tweek.

            “I can’t promise you anything.”

            “Come on that’s-” Tweek yelled out in pain, an electric shock jolting through him as the owner of the aquarium appeared next to Jack. He had a long stick that had what looked like a taser at the end of it. The owner, a portly middle aged, graying man with a thick beard, knelt down next to Jack, glaring at Tweek.

            “What’re you doing up here?” He snarled, Tweek growling low in his throat.

            “I’m bored as _fuck_ down there! Entertain me.” He hissed between his teeth, yelling out in pain again as he was jabbed by the taser.

            “ _You’re_ the entertainment. Got it? You don’t get to be entertained while people are here,” A woman with black hair tied into a pony tail approached with a tray of food for Tweek, his eyes darting to her name tag. _Wendy_. She looked to be about Tweek’s age and looked nicer than the two men in front of him. “Ah, Wendy. Feed Tweek here only the…hmmm,” The owner looked over the food, pointing at a measly pack of crackers and an apple. “Only these two things.” Wendy blinked, frowning.

            “With all due respect, sir, that isn’t going to be enough to suffice him for the evening! He’s human, you kn-”

            “He misbehaved. So now he doesn’t get to eat as much as he would’ve.”

            “All I want is to have something to do while I- _fuck!_ ” He gasped as he was jabbed again, his eyes flashing a bright, lime green as he shoved his hand upward, a stream of water hitting the man in the face. He sputtered, his eyes widening. Wendy noticed that the water surrounding Tweek was beginning to boil the angrier he got.

            “Oh…so you have _powers_?” Tweek’s eyes widened as he realized the catastrophic mistake he just made exposing himself like that. He shook his head.

            “N-No.” He choked out, pushing his index fingers together in an effort to make himself look more innocent. The owner snorted, smacking Tweek across the face with the stick. He clutched at his cheek, angry tears stinging his eyes as his jaw as grabbed by the owner (his name tag read _Luis_ ).

            “Do a stunt like that again and I’ll chain your god damn hands together, got it?” He whispered into Tweek’s ear, the grip on his jaw hurting. He nodded, trying to rip his face away from the man. He gasped as he was shoved backwards, Luis grabbing the tray from Wendy. “He doesn’t eat.” Tweek whimpered, swimming along the walkway as Luis headed towards the stairs. Wendy gasped softly, noticing little trails of ice behind Tweek as he sobbed.

            “N-No, please! I’ll behave!” He yelled out in pain once more as Luis jabbed him once more, Wendy frozen in place as Jack and Luis walked down the steps of the tank. She frowned, digging in her coat pocket as she heard the boy sniffle.

            “Tweek…is it?” She asked, her heart twisting at the way he looked at her. _He’s so scared…_ He nodded slowly, making his way down to her. She sat cross legged on the metal walkway, looking around before holding out an apple. “Here.” She whispered, Tweek’s eyes widening. He took it with gentle hands (Wendy noticed his long, pointed fingernails), slowly bringing the red apple to his pink lips. He sniffled, the ice swimming around him slowly fading away as the tears stopped.

            “Thank…thank you.” He breathed out, Wendy smiling softly as she took the core of the apple.

            “I’m so sorry you’re here.” She whispered, Tweek looking down.

            “It…it’s my fault…I trusted someone I shouldn’t have…he used my emotions to his advantage…” Wendy frowned.

            “Did someone trick you?” He nodded.

            “He told me he loved me…but…one day…that man… _Luis…_ showed up after I got trapped in the net. Said that…I would bring in money… _lots of it_ …and he was there too…the guy…he…used my feelings towards him to lure me closer to shore so they could catch me…” Wendy reached out slowly.

            “May I…?” She asked, her hand by Tweek’s ear. He nodded slowly, casting his gaze down. She ran her thumb and index finger over the points of his ear lightly, noticing the earrings. “Is there any reason for your earrings? Or is it just to have them?” Tweek smiled a bit at the mention of his piercings.

            “Piercings signify important milestones depending on where they’re placed and what color they are,” He touched the gold hoops in his ears. “Each gold hoop signifies five years of your life. I have three because I haven’t reach twenty yet. I-I turn eighteen soon.” Wendy smiled at him.

            “When’s your birthday?” Tweek thought a moment.

            “I think it’s in…three weeks? I don’t really know the date…we don’t keep track of time like you humans do. I just know it’s in the spring time.” Wendy chuckled, pressing her finger gently to the tip of his nose.

            “What about the septum piercing?” Tweek blushed, chewing on his bottom lip.

            “U-Um…that’s…so others know I, um…have anxiety.” Wendy frowned.

            “You do?” Tweek nodded slowly.

            “Since I-I was young I always struggled to control it. They don’t give it to you until you’re ten just to make sure it really is anxiety or whatever mental disorder they think you have. It _definitely was_ …so on my tenth birthday…I got my second piercing in my ear and then my septum…the gold color means that I often have panic attacks as well…” Wendy reached into the water, grabbing his hand. Tweek gasped a bit.

            “I’m assigned to take care of you…I won’t let anything bad happen to you, okay?” Tweek blushed, nodding slowly as he looked up at her in awe.

            “Oh…okay.” She hummed, standing.

            “I saw you using sign language with Craig earlier.” Tweek’s eyes widened, pulling himself up to rest his forearms on the walkway.

            “You _know_ him?” He breathed out, a smile on his face. Wendy blinked.

            “Yeah, we go to school together! He’s a sweet kid…how…have you met him before?” Tweek looked down, watching his tail move as he grinned slowly. Images of that day he saved Craig flooded his mind, the way his black hair stood out in the blue water, his tan skin slightly red from the sun, the way he looked at Tweek. He hummed, closing his eyes.

            “We met accidentally.”

* * *

 

Craig’s mind was literally swimming with thoughts of Tweek. No, literally, images of Tweek swimming filled his mind as he tried to fall asleep that night. He felt too hot, his boxers felt too tight (was he hard? He wasn’t sure). He tugged his shirt off, rolling over onto his stomach and burying his face into his pillow. He can’t be attracted _to a mermaid_. It’s literally impossible for them to be together…right? Craig groaned, tossing his blankets aside as he started pacing around the room. His hands ran down his face, sliding back up to tangle into his black hair. _Craig, listen to me, your inner self…DON’T FALL IN LOVE WITH THE FUCKING FISH DUDE_. Okay, so falling in love was a big stretch, but Craig couldn’t get Tweek out of his head. That has to mean something, right? Yeah, that’s what he remembers his mom telling him. He asked her how you know you were in love with someone. Laura smiled at the question.

            “You feel butterflies each and every time you see them, they fill your thoughts at the most inopportune times, and you genuinely look forward to seeing them every day.” Craig flopped into the chair by his telescope, pressing his eye to the scope and twisting it around until he found what he was looking for: the constellations. He sighed, the sight of them calming his frantic thoughts. It’s ironic, really. Two of his favorite things were space and the ocean, but the ocean can’t move the way it does without the moon, which was, get this, _in space_. Craig watched the constellations for a while until he no longer saw Tweek’s face giggling in his mind. He crawled back into bed, glancing at the clock. _Four fifteen_. He groaned, closing his eyes. Thankfully, it was Saturday, and he didn’t have any plans. Craig rolled onto his back, staring at the glow stars on his ceiling. He ran his tongue over his braces, a nervous tic he’s developed for the two years he’s had the damn things. Around five am, his eyes started fluttering shut, that familiar blonde-haired boy consuming his thoughts as he slept.

* * *

 

When Monday rolled around, Craig had dark circles under his eyes as he plopped at the lunch table, Kyle blinking.

            “Dude, did you sleep at all this weekend?” He asked once Craig looked up. Craig slumped onto the palms of his hands, his eyes fluttering shut.

            “Not really…” he mumbled, jolting awake as Kenny elbowed him in the side.

            “Probably jacking off to the damn mermaid.” He teased, Craig dropping his forehead to the table with an audible _thud_. Stan snorted.

            “Wouldn’t surprise me.” He mumbled, Craig tucking his arms around his head.

            “Come on guys, knock it off.” Token said, a noticeable smile tugging on his lips. Craig didn’t have time for this. A downside to being deaf was he was constantly left alone with his thoughts, and even though he couldn’t quite remember what his voice sounded like, he’s been told it’s deep and pretty monotone, so that’s what his inner self sounds like. He yelled out in surprise as Clyde smacked his hand on his shoulder, causing him to sit upright.

            “Dude, you look _terrible_.” He murmured to Craig, Craig just nodding slowly. He wasn’t quite sure what Clyde said, his mind fuzzy with exhaustion and a cute blonde boy. _Why did you have to find him cute for so long? He was adorable in your dreams but now he’s real…well, he was always real! But why do you **find him cute?!**_ Craig tugged his chullo off his head, the March weather often bringing warmer air in the afternoon. He ran his fingers through his hair, fingers digging into his scalp.

            “I can’t stop thinking about him.” He breathed out, everyone freezing as they turned to stare at Craig.

            “W-Who?” Jimmy asked, Craig not even needing to read his lips to know someone would ask _who_.

            “That-that mermaid. Tweek.” Stan snorted.

            “That’s his fucking name?”

            “Look, that’s what he signed to me, so that’s his name!” Craig hissed, a flash of anger crossing his face. Stan held his hands up in defense.

            “Whoa, just asking, bro.” Craig grunted, turning to Kenny.

            “Dude, you have to slap me.”

            “What? Why?!”

            “I need to wake up.”

            “You want me…to slap you…?”

            “Yes.”

            “That’s kinky, Tucker.” Craig groaned.

            “Just do- _fuck!_ ” His cheek tingled where Kenny slapped him, but it did wake him up a bit and it got his mind off of Tweek. At least, until after school, where Craig stood outside with a cigarette between his lips as he waited for Tricia. It looked like rain, but Craig didn’t mind. Tricia came running up to the car, a grin on her face.

            “ _Sup, shit head_.” She signed, Craig snorting.

            “ _Want to go somewhere?”_

_“Where?”_

_“The aquarium_.” Tricia furrowed her brows.

            “ _Weren’t you just there?”_ She signed, Craig blushing as he exhaled his cigarette, setting it back between his lips so he could sign.

            “ _Yeah, but what’s wrong with taking my sister somewhere?”_ Tricia thought a moment before shrugging.

            “ _I’ll text mom and let her know.”_ Craig nodded, stomping on his cigarette before he got in the car. Tricia sent Laura a text, chuckling at her mom’s response.

            _Have fun! Be safe! Don’t do drugs!_

* * *

 

They stopped at a coffee shop on the way, Craig getting the largest and strongest coffee while Tricia got a sugary frap of some kind. Craig didn’t want to gulp the drink down in its entirety, so he set it down in the cup holder while he drove. Once at the aquarium, he handed his debit card over to pay for both him and Tricia. He clutched his coffee tight in his hand.

            “Tric, do you want to stay together, or go our separate ways?” She thought a moment, shrugging.

            “Let’s stick together.” He nodded, reading her lips. He let her lead the way, knowing full well if he were to lead the way, he’d make a beeline to see the trapped blonde boy. _Trapped_. The thought of Tweek stuck the way he is made his heart _ache_. He tried not to think about it too much, following Tricia as she pointed out her favorite fish and sea creatures, Craig smiling as he sipped at his coffee. She looked so excited to be here, her green eyes shining as they walked through the shark tunnel. Craig chuckled as she looked just as excited as Clyde the other day, watching her rush forward to the touch tank. It wasn’t as crowded since it was a Monday afternoon, Craig kneeling next to her to stick his hand in the water. The stingray swam past them, his heart clenching as he thought of the miserable lives they must have. _At least Tweek isn’t being exposed like this_. But, then again, Tweek sort of _was_ being exposed like this. Although people couldn’t touch him, people still used him for publicity, for money, for an experience. It made Craig _angry_. Tricia stood, tugging on his jacket sleeve.

            “ _I want to see this so-called mermaid!”_ She signed, Craig’s cheeks flushing. He nodded as he stood, following her down the hall. His feet felt like they weighed a hundred pound each, the closer he got the heavier they felt. Why was he so nervous? He’s seen Tweek before.

            _“Be careful next time!”_ He heard his voice in his head, shaking his head as a sharp pain shot through his skull. He pressed the heel of his hands into his eyes after setting his coffee down on a bench, seeing stars as he rubbed them. _Why can you **hear** him_?! He sighed, grabbing his coffee and continuing down the hall. When he rounded the corner and saw the tank, Tricia was already pressed against the glass, grinning from ear to ear. Craig walked over slowly, Tweek laying on that same rock as Friday. _Had he even moved_ _since then?_ He thought, walking up behind Tricia. Craig smiled a bit around the lid of his coffee as Tweek glanced up, those green eyes brighter than ever. He quickly swam over to the glass, pressing his hands to it as he waved a bit. Tricia’s eyes widened, looking at Craig slowly.

            “ _You…are friendly with the mermaid?”_ She signed, Craig snorting. He nodded, turning back to Tweek.

            “ _I missed you_.” Tweek signed, his cheeks turning a light pink (Craig noticed it went to his ears as well). Tricia blinked.

            “ _You know sign language?!”_ She signed, Tweek blinking as he saw her sign.

            “ _I do. How do you know it?”_

 _“My brother is deaf.”_ Tweek smiled slowly, glancing between her and Craig.

            “ _Craig’s your brother?”_

 _“Yeah…how do you…know my brother?”_ Tweek thought a moment.

            “ _We met on Friday_.” Craig knew it was a lie, but he was glad Tweek didn’t say anything about that day eight years ago. He’d rather that be kept a secret between Tweek and him.

            “ _Why do **you** know sign language?” _ Tricia signed, her brows furrowed.

            “ _If humans are nearby, we’d use sign language if we needed to communicate_.” Tricia hummed, nodding slowly. She looked at Craig.

            “I’m going to the manatees. Don’t fuck the fish.” Craig choked on his coffee, flipping her off as she walked away. He turned back to Tweek, gasping as his green eyes met his. He set his coffee down by his feet, smiling a bit at Tweek.

            “ _What are you drinking?”_ Tweek signed, his tail moving to keep him in place.

            “ _Coffee_.” Tweek’s eyes widened.

            “ _I haven’t had coffee in weeks.”_

            “ ** _You_** _drink coffee?”_

_“Well, we can’t really brew it like you humans do, but we can suck on the coffee beans. The same effect happens.”_

_“Is that why you have shaky hands?”_ Tweek blushed, glancing down at his hands. Well, that was part of the reason.

            “ _Sort of? I have…anxiety.”_ Craig frowned, tilting his head to the side.

            “ _I’m sorry…if it makes you feel better, I have depression_.”

            “ _How does that make me feel better?”_ Craig snorted, shrugging. Tweek laughed behind the glass. Although he couldn’t hear it, he imagines it sounded angelic.

            “ _I’m sorry you’re depressed.”_

 _“Don’t be. It’s something I’ve learned to deal with…just like my deafness.”_ Tweek frowned.

            “ _Have you always been deaf?”_ Criag shook his head.

            “ _When I was three, I got really sick and nearly died. I recovered, but the illness damaged the bones in my ear, leaving me with permanent hearing loss. As I got older, it got worse, and when I turned sixteen, they told me I was pretty much deaf at this point.”_ Tweek nodded slowly, taking in all the information.

            “ _So that day we met…you were deaf then?”_ Craig nodded.

            “ _That’s why I got hit. I didn’t hear my parents shout to me because I didn’t wear my hearing aids out on the water.”_ Tweek smiled a bit, ignoring all the other people surrounding him and Craig. He noticed people staring at Craig, a bubble of jealously crawling up his throat. It wasn’t fair. They got to look at him on the same side of the glass and he didn’t.

            “ _I’m glad I was there to help, then.”_ Craig smiled a bit, nodding. He thought a moment.

            “ _Do you like music?”_ Tweek blinked, smiling a little wider.

            “ _I love music. Why?”_

 _“I just haven’t listened to it in so long…actually, the shirt I’m wearing is my favorite band. They’re from the seventies, but I still like them_.” Tweek looked at his shirt, humming.

            “ _Rush, huh? What kind of music do they play?”_

_“Rock. My favorite genre.”_

_“I like rock. I haven’t listened to many songs in that genre, but they’re loud and in your face. I like that. I wish I was like that.”_ Craig laughed softly, the way his fight lit up making Tweek grin.

            “ _I’m sure you’re capable of more than you think_.” He signed, Tweek turning a light red.

            “ _What’s on your teeth?”_ He signed, Craig blushing a bit as he grinned so Tweek could see his braces.

            “ _Braces. They help straighten your teeth out.”_ Tweek blinked, running his tongue over his teeth subconsciously.

            “ _Your teeth look straight though!”_

 _“I’ve had them for two years now. I get them off in about two months.”_ Tweek noticed how excited he looked about getting his braces off, giggling softly.

            “ _Do I need them?”_ He grinned wide at Craig, causing the other boy to laugh.

            “ _Not at all. Your teeth are perfect. Your smile is beautiful. It’s one of your best features.”_ Tweek smiled wider as he giggled, a blush on his cheeks. He looked up as he heard the sound of boots on metal, a slight sense of panic setting in.

            “ _I have to go. When will I see you again?”_ Craig thought a moment before signing.

            “ _By the end of the week. I promise_.” Tweek smiled a bit, waving as he swam up towards the walkway that extended across the tank. When he surfaced, he sighed in relief when he saw Wendy.

            “Hungry?” She asked, sitting cross legged on the walk way. Tweek nodded, pushing himself up to sit next to her on the walkway. He happily took the sandwich, taking a big bite as he glanced towards the exit of the room. He caught the last little glimpse of Craig as he rounded the corner, his heart hammering in his chest as he stared at the spot. “Hey, you okay?” Wendy’s delicate voice broke his thoughts, his head whipping around to look at her. She yelped as some water from his hair flung out to hit her face and shirt, causing her to laugh softly. Tweek gasped.

            “S-shit! Sorry!” he laughed, waving his hand in front of her face. Wendy watched in awe as the water lifted off her skin and out of her clothing, forming into a small ball in Tweek’s hand. He turned his hand over so his palm faced the water, sighing as the water dropped down into the tank. He then did the same motion on his own hair, the water soaking it floating towards the palm of his hand. Wendy smiled softly, watching the way his curls bounced as they dried. Tweek tossed the water into the tank, continuing to eat.

            “That’s…incredible.” She whispered, Tweek blushing.

            “All mermaids have some control of water. What they can do with it varies…I got a lot of ability for some reason. I think my body is compensating for the anxiety and panic attacks.”

            “That’s…so interesting,” She whispered, smiling a bit as she caught a glimpse of Tricia Tucker running through the room and out the exit Craig went. “Craig visited again?” She asked, Tweek blushing.

            “Um…yeah, he, uh, had his sister with him.”

            “How did you two meet?” Tweek smiled a bit, swallowing his sandwich.

            “On Friday,” He lied, his mind wandering back to that day again. “He just…really caught my attention…he’s…really handsome.” Wendy hummed.

            “Yeah…he’s one of the most handsome guys in school. He’s gay though, so a lot of the girls are really pissed about that.” She chuckled, Tweek’s eyes widening.

            “He…he is?” He breathed out, staring at Wendy. She smiled a bit, watching Tweek’s ears turn a light pink.

            “Yeah. He came out when we were twelve. He had a boyfriend for a bit last year…well, I think they dated. I know they screwed around, but I think Craig broke it off. They’re still friendly though, but Craig isn’t interested anymore.” Tweek felt his heart clench at the thought of Craig with another guy, but then again, Tweek couldn’t be mad. Craig did think he was a dream for the past eight years (which hurt a bit, but again, he understood). He flicked his tail in the water a bit, watching the fins move.

            “Is there…could I ever actually… _speak_ with him?” He whispered, looking up at Wendy with sad eyes. Wendy smiled sadly, rubbing his back gently.

            “I’ll see what I can do.” She whispered back, Tweek leaning into her embrace. Wendy was the only friend he had (well, besides Craig) and he cherished any affection she gave him. Tweek missed physical contact. He missed kissing people (despite the last person he kissed the reason he ended up in this fucking place). As Wendy bid him goodnight as he finished eating, Tweek let himself sink to the bottom of the tank, a dreamy smile on his face as he landed in the sand by the glass of the tank. He hummed, watching the fish swim over to him in curiosity. They nuzzled into his side and face, causing him to giggle.

            “Isn’t he beautiful, guys? He came back! He’ll visit us _again_! He promised he would,” Tweek hummed as he rolled onto his side, staring out at the people taking pictures of him. He couldn’t be bothered to move. Not with Craig filling his mind as his eyes closed. “He’s a dream come true.”

           

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So remember how I said I wasn't going to post every day? Haha, I'm already breaking that. I'm just so excited to write this story! I promise you that I will more than likely not upload every day, but there's a chance for a bit I do! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! The response to the first chapter was overwhelming and I received so many wonderful comments! As always, any and all feedback is appreciated! Until next time! :)  
> Also: give my tumblr a follow! crowded-skies.tumblr.com (and yes, Rush is my favorite band!)


	3. Chapter 3

School the following day was _agony_ for Craig Tucker. Not only did he have a headache from lack of sleep, but he was still thinking about _Tweek_. He ran his tongue over his braces as he sat in history class, eyes focused on the board as he wrote. Craig’s notes were unkempt, but they were somewhat legible to him. As the students around him started packing up, Craig let go of the breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding as he started packing up his bag. Shoving his way through the halls, he finally made it to his locker, quickly entering the combination before tugging it open. He jumped a bit after a few moments, feeling someone tap his shoulder. Turning around, he came face to face with Wendy Testaburger.

            “Oh…hey.” He murmured, turning back around to finish changing his books out and then shutting his locker.

            “You’ve been to the aquarium a lot this week.” She said, Craig’s ears turning a light pink under his hat as he read the word _aquarium_ on her lips.

            “Yeah. I just…enjoyed it Friday when the guys and I went and I wanted to take Tricia.” Wendy smiled a bit, biting on her nail. Her hand twisted something around in her jacket pocket as they walked towards the cafeteria.

            “That’s it? It doesn’t have to do with Tweek?” Craig stopped walking, his entire face red at this point. He sputtered, trying to think of something to say.

            “No!” _Nice one, Tucker_. Wendy smiled a bit, giggling.

            “Craig, it’s okay to have a crush.” She whispered, Craig glancing down after he finished reading her lips.

            “Not…not on a mermaid…” He breathed out, Wendy frowning at his words.

            “Why?”

            “Wendy, listen to the sentence I just said,” He grabbed her face, locking eyes with her. “Not. On. A. _Mermaid_.” He enunciated, Wendy rolling her eyes as she held her hand out. Craig glanced down, blinking as a unique looking shell sat in her hand.

            “Tweek told me to give this to you. Said something about holding it up to your ear?” She handed it over to Craig, who then ran his thumb over the shell. It was a conch shell, flecks of gold and purples filling the inside of the shell while the outside was a creamy white with brown flecks towards the top. Craig nodded slowly, signaling to Wendy he understood.

            “Thanks…” He murmured, watching her walk away. Once he was alone in the hallway, he slowly brought the conch to his ear. He couldn’t hear anything, furrowing his brows. He let out a huff, stuffing the shell into his backpack. Well, at least now he had an excuse to go see Tweek again.

* * *

 

            “Come on, gentlemen, these times won’t win state titles!” Stan groaned as their track coach bellowed at them for the hundredth time that day. It was a particularly warm spring afternoon as they ran, most of the boys not prepared for the warm weather. Their faces were flushed and their hair stuck to their sweaty foreheads. Craig could tell Stan was getting annoyed by the coach, and honestly, it was entertaining. Craig couldn’t hear the coach (he ran without his hearing aids in), which he was very thankful for. Craig has been running track since sixth grade and he’s loved using it as an escape since then. Hell, he’s even won medals for the four by eight hundred relay team (which consisted of him, Stan, Kyle, and Token). Clyde and Kenny ran too, but Kenny was a sprinter and Clyde did hurdles. Cartman opted to sit out of track, sitting with Jimmy in the bleachers. As they finished their last lap, Stan doubled over, his hands resting on his knees as he coughed, gasping for air. It had been far too long since any of them ran, and the winter holiday eating has clearly taken a toll on them. Craig, having been smoking for a few years now, could definitely feel the effects on his body. He’s cut back, but the damage has been done. Craig was still one of the fastest guys on the team, however. So, Craig continued his habits (despite his parent’s disapproval). Craig coughed into his arm, his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. He could see a lot of the guys coughing, which made him feel better about his current physical condition. “Alright! Tucker, Broflovski, Marsh, Black! Get ready for the four by eight hundred!” Token nudged Craig as he passed him, signaling for him to get to his position in line. The order was as follows: Token ran first (he often gave them a good lead), followed by Kyle, Stan, and then Craig. Kyle and Stan were strong runners, but Craig was able to often over take the runners on the last lap, causing his coach to put him in the last position. Token took his place at the starting mark, everyone doing their stretches in the grass while they watched the four boys. Token took off as their coach blew his whistle, the team cheering him on as he rounded the corner with ease. He finished one lap in just under thirty seconds, Kyle walking to take his position as Token ran the last stretch of track on his second lap. As he rounded the corner, Kyle braced himself, taking a few jogging steps as Token approached. Once his hands grabbed the baton, he took off full sprint. Craig watched with intense eyes, wincing as a sharp pain went through his head.

            “ _I missed you_.” He hissed in pain, digging his fingertips into his temples. He glanced back up, watching Stan take off as Kyle handed him the baton. Shaking the pain off, he prepared himself as Stan ran past, finishing his first lap. Token put a hand on his shoulder before he walked out, shooting him a look.

            “You good?” He mouthed, Craig simply nodding. He got in position, watching Stan round the final curve. He took a few jogging steps, turning around and sprinting as fast as he could after he felt the cool metal of the baton in his hand. He could see his teammates cheering, but he couldn’t hear them. Running while hearing nothing reminding Craig of the movies. There’s always the sequences where they’re training really hard or they’re just so in the zone that they hear nothing but their heartbeat and breathing. That’s what running _every time_ was like for Craig. And it was _exhilarating_. He finished his first lap quickly, focusing as he continued onto his final lap. Craig grunted as he felt that sharp pain appear again. _Nonono not now, come on!_ He squeezed one eye shut as the pain persisted on.

            “ _I’m glad I was there to help, then_.” He yelled out in pain as he crossed the finish line, doubling over as the pain consumed his head. Craig fell to his knees, heaving as he tried to stop the searing pain behind his eyes. This is the worse it has ever been, and of course, it had to be _now_ of all the times and places. He felt hands on his back, glancing over to see Kyle’s freckled legs kneeling beside him.

            “Dude, what the fuck is wrong?!” Craig groaned, the heels of his hands pressing into his eyes.

            “I-I don’t know! My fucking _head_.” He cried out, tears pricking his eyes.

            “Come on,” Kyle tucked his arm around Craig, helping him up and taking him over to the grass to lay down. He propped his head up with Craig’s backpack, handing him a water bottle. “Drink up. Maybe you’re dehydrated.” Craig nodded slowly after processing Kyle’s words, gulping down the water as if his life depended on it. After about five minutes, the pain had subsided to a dull throb by his temples. He closed his eyes, the warm sun not helping his headache. Craig draped his arm over his eyes, sighing as he felt someone nudge him a few minutes later. Moving his arm aside, Craig met the concerned gaze of Clyde.

            “You good, bro?” Craig nodded slowly, sitting up carefully.

            “Yeah, just…I’ve been having really bad headaches…”

            “Is it from lack of sleep?”

            “I…I don’t know…it started at the aquarium…” Clyde blinked, squatting down next to him.

            “Do you think… _he_ has something to do with it?” Craig furrowed his brows,

            “ _He_?” He repeated.

            “You know…Tweek.” Craig blinked, knowing full well what name Clyde just said. He shrugged, looking in his lap.

            “Probably not. It’s more than likely just a coincidence.” Clyde bit his lip, sighing as he stood and held his hand out to Craig.

            “Come on.” Craig blinked, grabbing his backpack before letting Clyde tug him up.

            “Where are we going?” Clyde turned to look at him, smiling.

            “The aquarium!”

* * *

Craig felt incredibly exposed in his track outfit when he wasn’t actually on the track, but Clyde didn’t give him the chance to change before he was shoved into his own car (Clyde still couldn’t drive). Once they pulled up, Craig put the car into park and looked at Clyde.

            “Why are we-”

            “Ask him about the headaches. Maybe he’s, like, pranking you.” Craig rolled his eyes.

            “I highly doubt that.” He murmured, climbing out of the car with Clyde. Once inside, Craig made Clyde pay for them both since this was all his idea. However, Clyde then made Craig promise they could walk through everything Clyde wanted to see (Craig agreed, wanting to save going to Tweek last). Craig followed Clyde around, watching his best friend press against the glass of multiple tanks. The more Craig thought about it, the more he _loathed_ this aquarium. Well, he loved it for bringing Tweek into his life, but he had to give them _money_ in order to see him. And Craig didn’t want to give money to anyone that endorsed such mistreatment of Tweek. Finally, after what felt like forever, they were walking down the hall to Tweek’s tank, Craig heart hammering. He swallowed the nervous lump in his throat as he walked up to the glass, seeing Tweek grinning from ear to ear as he played tic-tac-toe with an octopus. Craig grinned slowly at the sight, glad they gave him an intelligent sea creature to occupy his free time. _No doubt Wendy’s doing_. He knocked lightly on the glass, Tweek looking up with wide eyes. He grinned slowly, swimming up to the glass and pressing his hands to it. Clyde gasped.

            “Dude, he really likes you!” Craig ignored his friend, his eyes focused on the boy in front of him.

            “ _They gave you an octopus?”_ Craig watched the creature crawl up Tweek’s back, resting comfortably on his head. Tweek giggled, pushing the tentacles out of his face. Craig smiled at the image, taking a mental snapshot.

            “ _I named him Pluto. They tossed him in here because he was too small to be around other octopuses. They were afraid they’d bully him_.” Craig grew a little angry. They were afraid the octopus would get bullied, but didn’t care that Tweek was in captivity?!

            “ _Pluto is a fitting name. I love space, you know.”_ Tweek’s eyes lit up.

            “ _Yeah? Why?”_

_“I can just drown my problems. I can look at the stars for hours and find something new all the time. There’s always something to find.”_

_“That’s very poetic_.” Craig chuckled, but blinked as he remembered why they came here.

            “ _So…I have a question…two questions.”_

_“Okay.”_

_“So, ever since I’ve come here, I’ve been getting these really intense headaches…do…you have something to do with them_?” Tweek blushed, chewing on his bottom lip as he ran his fingers over his ribs.            

            “ _Sort of? So…do you hear things when they occur?”_

 _“Yeah, I hear our conversations_.”

            “ _…you can hear me?”_

_“Yeah, every time. I assume it’s you. It’s snippets of conversations we’ve had.”_

_“So…it happens when I want to communicate with you. Whenever it happens, it means that I’m…thinking of you…I’m sorry it hurts so badly. I don’t know why it happens! Humans always struggle with the pain.”_

_“So…you think about me?”_ Tweek’s eyes widened, chewing on his thumb nail as he thought.

            “ _Well…yeah…”_ Craig smiled a bit, unaware of the employees watching him carefully.

            “ _Question two…what does the conch do?”_ Tweek grinned slowly.

            “ _Wendy gave it to you?”_

 _“Yeah. She said to hold it to my ear.”_ Tweek held a finger up, swimming off and coming back with a similar looking conch in his hands. He motioned for Craig to hold his conch up to his ear, Craig nodding. He unzipped his backpack and tugged the conch out, holding it to his ear. Tweek brought it to his mouth, Craig spotting the grin from behind the shell.

            “Can you hear me?” Craig gasped, his eyes widening as he stared at Tweek. His voice was clear as day, Craig swearing it was the sound of birds chirping the most wonderful melody in his ear. Tweek brought his conch to his ear, Craig putting his lips near the opening of the conch.

            “Yeah…you…how is this…?” Craig put the shell to his ear.

            “It can only happen when we’re here together…I just…wanted to hear your voice…” Craig smiled a bit, putting the shell back to his lips.

            “Sorry to disappoint you. I’ve been told it’s annoying.” Tweek let out a laugh (and Craig could _hear it_ , the sound sending electric jolts to his heart). He pressed the shell to his ear.

            “It’s wonderful. You’re wonderful…” Craig blushed, smiling softly. He glanced back at Clyde, who was preoccupied on his phone. He pressed his lips to the shell opening again.

            “Why can I _hear_ though?” He brought it to his ear.

            “That’s a little mermaid magic for you.” Tweek whispered, both boys grinning slowly at each other. _I could get used to a little mermaid magic._

* * *

 

Craig learned that he could use the shell to hear music, but only in the solidarity of his room. The magic will only work if no one could see him (obviously the exception to this rule being if Tweek was nearby). As they bid farewell for the evening, Tweek grinned to himself, tucking his conch back into its hiding place. He laid on his stomach as he closed his eyes for a nap, unaware of the fact Luis has been watching him the entire time Craig was there. The portly man was _angry._ Angry that Tweek could communicate to the outside world with such ease, _and_ that he did it behind his back and in front of the customers. As Luis saw Wendy walk towards the stairs of his tank with Tweek’s dinner, he knew he needed to act fast.

            “Oh! Wendy!” Wendy turned around, smiling a bit. (She loathed Luis.)

            “Yes, Mr. Luis?”

            “Let me take that up to Tweek, alright?” Wendy furrowed her brows.

            “Sir, it’ really no-”

            “No, I insist! I need you to go help Jack in the penguin enclosure. It’s a large place to clean by yourself.” It wasn’t a total lie, but he knew it would work to get her out of his hair for a little bit. She sighed, nodding as she handed him the tray.

            “Don’t…don’t hurt him. He’s just…scared, alright?” Luis smiled a fake smile, but to Wendy and everyone else, it looked like it would be a genuine smile.

            “Of course, dear.” As soon as Wendy was out of sight, Luis tossed the tray into the trash, going to a storage closet and grabbing what he needed. He made his way up the steps of the tank, walking across the walkway. Luis saw Tweek’s tail move, watching him come closer. He chuckled a bit as his face broke the surface of the water, the smile on Tweek’s face falling.

            “W-Where’s Wendy?”

            “She’s a little busy right now,” Luis knelt down, Tweek’s eyes widening as he saw the contents of his hands: chains. “Just like _you’ve_ been busy talking to a particularly annoying black-haired boy.”  

            “D-Don’t talk about him like that.” Tweek breathed out, yelling out in pain as he was jabbed with that electric stick again.

            “I can talk about him anyway I please! Need I remind you he _pays_ to see you? _You’re_ bringing me his money!” Tweek’s eyes flashed a lime green, the water around him boiling as he got angry.

            “You’re the one that abused my feelings! You-you used your fucking nephew to lure me closer to the shore! You’re the one that put me in this _living hell!_ ” He practically yelled, screaming in pain as he as shocked again, but this time it was held in place longer.

            “Hands up here!” Luis grunted, tapping the walkway with the stick. Tweek’s hands shook as he slowly raised them up to the walkway, sniffling as Luis wrapped them up in the chain. He locked them securely in place, chuckling softly as he stood. “I don’t want you talking to him, do you hear me? If I catch you talking to him again, I will either take your dinner away for a week or forbid that boy from entering this aquarium.” Tweek whimpered, the water around him freezing over as he sobbed.

            “N-No! No please-please don’t take him away from me!” He begged, trying to adjust to swimming with his hands stuck together.

            “Behave and maybe I’ll take those chains off, got it?” Tweek let out a sob, nodding slowly. “Good boy.” Tweek flinched at the name, sinking slowly into the water as Luis walked down the steps. He sobbed as he sank, curling in on himself as he hit the sandy floor. The tank was freezing over, the people complaining as they could no longer see through the glass due to the thick ice. Pluto crawled over to Tweek, curling up against his chest. Tweek clutched him there the best he could, sobbing into the head of the octopus.

            “I-I can’t talk to h-him anymore! H-How will I sign to him?! I-I can’t hold the conch up!” He was borderline hysterics at this point, looking around the tank. The water wasn’t totally frozen, just the water against the glass so he had some privacy to cry. Tweek swam around the tank, the usually somewhat large tank feeling _way too small_. He cried out for help as he swam from side to side, hitting his hands against the glass in an effort to break the chains. He tried freezing the water around the chains and breaking them then, but to no avail. After twenty minutes of hysteric sobbing, Tweek sank to the bottom again, the ice clearing. People continued their picture taking, Tweek watching them with sad eyes. Had they no remorse? Could they not _see his pain?!_ Why did no one want to help?! Tweek swallowed hard, closing his eyes. He didn’t notice with his eyes closed, but the water around him started turning a dark blue, as if he was in the deep, unexplored trenches of the ocean. People started complaining again as all the water in the tank turned a dark blue, making it hard to see in. Tweek opened his eyes eventually, noticing the dark color. This hasn’t happened in a long time, but he knew what this ability meant, and he was sad to say it, but Tweek felt hopeless, the dark blue waters symbolic to the intense sadness he felt in his body. As he glanced up to Pluto, who sat nearby in concern, Tweek sniffled, closing his eyes once more. He wasn’t even sure if Craig could brighten is mood the next time he visited. After all, this was Tweek’s own personal Hell that he was forced to relive _every day_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's 3:10 am, the Eagles won the Super Bowl, I marched down to Center City and had a panic attack by the sheer number of people in the streets and all the dangerous activities happening, but here is chapter 3! I hope you enjoy! And, as always, any and all feedback is appreciated! Give my tumblr a follow if you haven't! crowded-skies.tumblr.com


	4. Chapter 4

Everything was Tweek. Well, not literally, but everything in Craig’s _mind_ was Tweek. He groaned into his pillow as he laid in bed, trying to get his mind off of the adorable blonde a few days after he last saw him. _He missed me…does…he like me?_ Craig flopped onto his back, staring at the glow stars on his ceiling. He sighed, sudden memories of him and his ex-boyfriend lying down at night and Craig teaching him about the stars filling his mind. He swallowed hard, closing his eyes as he thought about him for a moment. It helped him stop thinking about Tweek. _You need to do more than just think about someone else_. Reaching for his phone, he typed in his ex’s name, typing a quick message to him.

            _Meet me at our place. I need to see you._

As soon as he hit send, Craig tugged his high-top sneakers on, walking down the steps. He decided to walk to Stark’s Pond, the cool spring air refreshing to his flushed face. Rummaging around in his jacket pocket, Craig tugged out a cigarette, lighting one up as he walked across town. It wasn’t too late, so he knew his ex would be there. They were still friends after all. Once at the pond, he didn’t see his car, so he plopped down on a bench, the cigarette dangling from his lips. He hadn’t heard the car pull up in the small little lot nearby, jumping as the cigarette was tugged from his mouth. Craig smiled a bit, watching him put it out.

            “I can’t believe you still smoke these things.” Craig chuckled softly, glancing up.

            “I can’t believe your mom let you out at this hour. It’s almost eleven, mind you.” Craig pushed a red curl behind Kyle’s ear, causing him to blush.

            “She was asleep,” Kyle stuffed his hands into his pockets, automatically nuzzling into the touch of Craig’s hand playing with his curls. “Why did you call me here?” Craig hummed after he processed what he said.

            “I…just missed you.”

            “You saw me this afternoon.” He chuckled, turning to face Craig. They fell silent, Craig’s eyes darting down to his lips. _You need a distraction_. He lurched forward, closing the gap between them. It took a second, but Kyle kissed him back, sighing softly into the kiss. It felt good to kiss someone, even if it was his ex-boyfriend. Kyle and Craig started dating after Kyle came out as bisexual. They had kissed at a party, and Craig knew he wanted to try it out. He always found Kyle attractive, and since there aren’t many options in South Park for gay men, they decided to wade into the waters of a relationship. They dated for about six months before Craig broke it off, but there were no hard feelings. But now that he’s sitting here kissing his ex-boyfriend, he realized that he really had missed intimacy with another boy. He pulled away slowly, pressing his forehead to Kyle’s. He sighed, closing his eyes.

            “I’m sorry,” He breathed out, running his thumb over Kyle’s knuckles. “I just…now I feel bad.” He looked up into Kyle’s green eyes, frowning as he wished it was Tweek in front of him. Now Craig just felt bad that he used Kyle.

            “Why do you feel bad?”

            “I… _fuck,_ I-I needed to distract myself…”

            “Are you okay?”

            “I-I don’t know, dude…I just…there’s this… _guy_ ,” Craig hated how Kyle’s face fell for a moment. “And…he… _fuck_ , it’s difficult, okay?” Kyle’s lips turned up a bit, running his thumb along Craig’s jaw.

            “Because he’s behind the glass of a tank?” Craig turned a dark red, biting on his bottom lip gently as he looked back up at Kyle.

            “I-”

            “Craig, it’s okay to have feelings for him. He’s…he’s adorable. And he seems to really care about you. Hell, he even knows ASL, and God knows I was terrible at it.” Craig laughed softly, nuzzling his nose into Kyle’s freckled cheek.

            “You got pretty good.” Kyle pulled his hands away, thinking a moment.

            “ _I had a good teacher_.” He signed, Craig’s heart fluttering at the notion. He smiled, signing slowly for Kyle to follow.

            “ _You’re smart, Kyle. I knew you’d learn it_.”

            “… _I miss you_.” Craig blushed, swallowing hard.

            “ _I miss you, too…”_ Kyle let out a shaky breath, swallowing hard. Why did it have to be so difficult to be friends with your ex? _Because you did **everything** with him_. Craig reached out, grabbing Kyle’s hands again and breaking him from his train of thought. He jumped a bit, looking up at Craig. The taller boy tugged him into a tight hug, Kyle inhaling the familiar scent of Craig: citrus shampoo, cigarettes, and cologne. It was something he grew fond of and often missed. Craig tugged him onto his lap, burying his face into the crook of his neck. It’s been so long since Craig has felt the familiar embrace of a boy, and _fuck_ , he missed it. He craved it at night. He felt his eyes shut as Kyle played with the hair at the base of his neck, something that often calmed him. After a little while, Kyle tugged himself backwards so Craig could read his lips.

            “You need to accept the fact you like him.” Craig blushed, running his tongue over his braces as he thought.

            “Kyle…he’s-”

            “A mermaid. I know. But…that doesn’t mean he isn’t _half human_.” Craig swallowed hard, his throat bobbing as he leaned back against the bench as he ran his hands over Kyle’s thighs.

            “I know…but…he’s _literally trapped behind a tank wall_.” Kyle smiled a bit, his eyebrow raising a bit.

            “But don’t we _know someone_ who works there?” Craig blinked, his lips turning up a bit as he smiled.

            “Are you implying we use the help of Wendy Testaburger to break him out?” Kyle grinned slowly.

            “You know me so well.”

* * *

_The water was warm, which was surprising to Craig. Only because the water had ice in it when he showed up. Tweek looked so happy to see him. To finally touch him. To finally talk to him face to face instead of behind the glass._

_“Get in the water.” He whispered to Craig, and of course, Craig obliged. He was fully clothed, shoes and all. He felt like he was in a trance, unable to do anything but stare into Tweek’s eyes as they sank into the welcoming water. Craig wasn’t even holding his breath, somehow able to breath under the water. Tweek looked even more beautiful in front of him, his hair swimming in a blonde pool around his head, a giant grin on his face, cheeks a light pink._

_“You’re perfect.” How he could talk underwater, Craig wasn’t sure, but he was happy he was able to make Tweek blush like that._

_“I could say the same.” Craig smiled a bit._

_“I…I can hear you.” He breathed out, cupping Tweek’s face in his hands lightly. Tweek nuzzled into his touch, Craig feeling his arms wrap around his neck. He slid his hands down his slender body, resting them on his hips. Craig wanted to be closer. He **needed** to be closer. Pulling Tweek closer, he leaned their foreheads together, green eyes meeting blue once more. _

_“Mermaid magic.” Tweek whispered, their eyes closing as their lips met. It was magical, and Craig assumed the sparks he felt when their lips touched was the mermaid magic Tweek talked about. His lips were so soft. So warm. So perfect against Craig’s. Craig let out a sigh, pressing his hands into Tweek’s back as they practically floated in the middle of the tank. It was a dream come true. Suddenly, he felt cold. He pulled away, noticing the scared look on Tweek’s face. He felt hands on him, and they weren’t Tweek’s. He was pulled out of the water, watching Tweek’s face follow him as he was pulled onto the walkway. A mean looking man loomed over top of him as he was held down by two other men, the water on him running through the grate of the metal and dripping into the tank below. Why could he hear it? The man loomed over him as four other men tugged Tweek out of the water, Craig watching as he thrashed around._

_“What are you doing?!” He yelled, Craig trying to escape the tight grip of the men holding him. The portly man laughed, the four men quickly tying a weight to the end of Tweek’s tail and shoving him back into the water. The two men hoisted Craig up, the portly man patting his cheek._

_“Come, boy,” Craig was shoved towards the steps, the grips on his arms not loosening up. He was placed in front of the tank, forced to look at Tweek struggling to escape the chained weight around his tail. “Now, I know you’ve been coming here for some time now to see this here mermaid. I ain’t stupid. How you got in here, I don’t know, but now Tweek here has to be…punished,” He looked back up at the top of the tank where two men stood, buckets in their hands. “Gentlemen!” He shouted, the men nodding. They dumped the buckets, Craig’s eyes widening as electric eels started swimming down towards the bottom of the tank. They wouldn’t hurt him, right? That was just a myth! They started swimming past Tweek, the blonde panicking as he tried to move away. Craig winced as he cried out in pain, watching him try and move his body away from the eels as they continued to swim past him. Some bit down on his beautiful skin, causing blood to fill the water. Tweek’s screams were deafening to Craig. Why was this happening?! He shouldn’t be able to hear this! This shouldn’t be happening! He kicked his legs, arching his back to try and break free._

_“Tweek! Stop it! You’re hurting him!” He cried out, hot tears falling down his cold cheeks as Tweek’s fighting slowed. The screams stopped coming from Tweek, his arms floating up above his head as his eyes closed. “Tweek! Tweek, no! TWEEK!”_

            Craig gasped as he sat up, his chest heaving as he tried to settle his racing heart. He let out a choked sob, burying his face into his hands as he tried to stop the sickness in his stomach. He glanced at the clock in his room, noticing that the flash on his phone was going off to signal his alarm. Reaching over, he grabbed his phone and turned the alarm off before lying back down. The glow stars met his eyes as he sniffled, noticing a few tears falling down his cheeks. Craig grumbled, quickly wiping them away. _Get up. You need to talk to Wendy today_. He let out a groan, crawling out of the comfort of his bed to get ready for school. The drive was relatively quiet, Tricia singing along to whatever new hit was on the radio. Craig didn’t care much for the newest songs, anyways. The hours leading up to lunch felt extra-long today, probably mocking the fact that Craig now has to talk to someone for a super important reason. As the students started packing up in the last class before lunch, Craig let out a small sigh, quickly grabbing his things before rushing to his locker. If he was fast enough, he’d catch her at her locker. After quickly grabbing his bagged lunch and changing his books out, he headed towards the cafeteria. Thankfully, Craig was fast enough today, Wendy just opening her locker as he rounded the final stretch of hallway towards the cafeteria.

            “Wendy!” He called out, the black-haired girl turning to look in the direction his voice came from. She offered up a small smile, putting her things away.

            “Hey Craig!”

            “Wendy, I need your help.”

“With what?” She asked, her brows furrowed. He swallowed hard, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Well…I, uh… _fuck_ how do I put this…I, um…can you…sneak me into the aquarium tonight?” Wendy blinked, putting a hand on her hip.

“You want me to sneak you into my job so you can see Tweek?” Craig turned a bright red, tugging on the flaps of his chullo so they covered his eyes.

“Look, _Ireallylikehim_ ,Wendy,andIwanttoseehiminpersonandnotbehindtheglass,okay?” He sputtered out, Wendy grinning slowly. She pushed his hat back up, Craig sighing a bit as he saw her grinning.

“I was actually gonna ask you to maybe come in anyways…something’s wrong with him.” Craig blinked, frowning.

“What do you mean?” Wendy bit her bottom lip.

“His tank has been dark. The water has been a deep blue for a few days now, since you were last there actually…” Craig bit the inside of his cheek, trying not the rush out the school towards the aquarium.

“Do you think…it’s some of his mermaid magic shit that he tells me about?”

“Tweek has abilities…a lot of it stems from his emotions…like, for instance, when he’s sad, the water gets icy around him. When he’s mad, the water boils around him.” Craig blinked after processing everything she said, nodding slowly.

“How do the other creatures in the tank react to it?”

“They don’t. He said they just see the changes, but never feel it. They feel his emotions, however, so when he’s sad, they feel sad with him or even concerned for him.” Craig nodded slowly, looking at their feet for a moment.

“I’ll come tonight…but what would you say to helping us hatch a plan to break him out of there soon?” Wendy blinked, smiling slowly.

“Who’s us?” Craig puffed out his cheeks.

 “Me and…Kyle…” Wendy hummed, shutting her locker.

“Your ex-lover boy is helping you get your new lover boy?”

“Well, shit, when you say it like _that_.” Craig groaned, tugging his hat over his eyes again as he leaned against the lockers. Wendy let out a laugh, pushing the hat back up to look him in the eyes.

“I’d say yes. I want Luis’ aquarium to go under. Fuck that asshole.”

* * *

 

Tweek hasn’t left the bottom of the tank for two days. He was starving, having only ate the apples that Wendy dropped down to him (she brought him more food, but he was too sad to swim up and eat, plus, he didn’t want her to know about his hands being chained together. He could only eat with the assistance of Pluto holding the apples for him). He could hear Luis and his nephew talking on the walkway, his heart clenching at the sound of _his_ voice. Luis’ nephew, Blake, was the last person Tweek kissed. The last person Tweek trusted romantically. The last person that betrayed Tweek, having lied to him for a month about loving him and using the love Tweek reciprocated to lure him into shore so he could be captured. Tweek winced at the memories, his eye closing as he thought about home. His parents. His friends. He missed his friends and family. They must be so worried. He could picture his parents crying, his friends concerned, everyone looking for him. He wondered if they knew he was captured, or if they were helplessly wandering the ocean for him. He let out a shaky breath, trying to focus on the music playing in the aquarium. It was older music, and despite everything this place has done to him, he enjoyed the music taste. As the voices of the two men faded away, he noticed the little bit of light that filtered through the darkness of the water turn off, but the music still played. He rolled onto his back, his chest aching for physical contact with anyone. _Not just anyone. You want Craig_. Tweek groaned, looking over at Pluto who had been sitting by his head for days. He was staring at Tweek.

            “What?” He asked the octopus, his tentacles seeming to cross as if he was disappointed in Tweek. He scoffed. “Pluto, I’m _in hell_ here! I don’t want to move! There’s no one for me here!” The octopus smacked his cheek, causing him to yelp. “Except you, you brat!” He smiled a small bit, sighing as he looked up at the faded outline of the walkway. “What do you think Craig’s doing, Pluto?” The octopus crawled onto his chest, nuzzling there. The weight of him felt calming to Tweek. “I wonder if he’s thinking about me…he has to be right? He likes me…at least, it seems that way…I wonder if his ex looks like me? I wonder if he was one of the other boys that he was with. Wendy mentioned that they were still friends…maybe it was the kid that came with him the other day? The brunette?” He sighed, puffing his cheeks out. “Probably not. They seemed like best friends…” Tweek blinked, hearing footsteps coming up the side of the tank. He swallowed hard, closing his eyes as that familiar sadness came back. _Oh…that’s right. You’re still in a living hell_. He blinked as there was only one set of footsteps (usually there’s two or three), and it didn’t sound like anyone he’d heard before. Tweek furrowed his brows, jumping as he heard something get dropped into the water. _An apple…Wendy_? He watched the apple fall near him, but there were no retreating footsteps. _What is she doing?_ He sat up slowly, his bones cracking in relief. With a sigh, he pushed off the rock with his fin, slowly swimming to the surface. _You owe her an explanation_. As he surfaced, Tweek let out a sigh.

            “Hey Wen-” He blinked, his heart racing in his chest as he met those unmistakable blue eyes. Craig grinned slowly at him, his elbows resting on his knees as he squatted down. The music playing rang in his ears.

_I've got sunshine on a cloudy day_  
_When it's cold outside I've got the month of May_  
 _Well I guess you'd say_  
 _What can make me feel this way?_  
 _My girl_

_Talkin’ bout my girl_

Tweek felt tears prick his eyes, but they were happy tears. The dark water slowly started to fade away, Craig glancing down to watch the water return to its normal color.

            “Hey Tweek.” He whispered, Tweek trying to memorize the way his face looked as he smiled. His right eye crinkled a little more than his left, he had dimples, his eyes looked so much brighter in person instead of behind the glass.

            “Craig…” He whispered back, Craig’s eyes widening a bit.

            “I…I can hear you clear as day…the music, too.” He breathed out, Tweek noticing the way his eyes shimmered with unshed tears. He smiled a bit at Craig.

            “Y-Yeah…that’s the mermaid magic.” He giggled, his cheeks and ears a light red. Craig let out a breathless laugh, sitting down on the ledge of the walkway. He tugged his sneakers off, his toes dipping into the water a bit, Tweek blushed, keeping his distance. He used his powers to freeze the chains over, trying to hide the abrasive silver color from Craig. _He can’t know_.

            “Wendy said you were sad.” He said, kicking his legs a bit as he leaned back on the palms of his hands. Tweek bit his lip.

            “Yeah…just…I miss my family…” It wasn’t a total lie, but he didn’t want Craig to know he was mainly sad about not being able to communicate with him. Craig nodded slowly.

            “Are you an only child?”

            “Yeah…I-I just…really miss my parents…I-I want my mom…” Craig frowned, pushing himself forward a bit. He reached out, gently placing his hand against Tweek’s cheek. Tweek turned his head away, closing his eyes. Craig blinked.

            “Tweek?”

            “We…I-I can’t.” Craig furrowed his brows.

            “What do you mean?” He breathed out, his heart hammering in his chest.

            “I-” They were cut off by footsteps coming up the stairs, both boys sighing as it was Wendy. She had something in her hand: chain cutters. Tweek flushed a dark red, feeling a slight sense of panic set in. _No. No, he’ll know I’m like this!_

            “Hands up, Tweek.” She ordered, Craig blinking.

            “What-”

            “I can see the silver on your hands, Tweek. Melt the ice off. It’s clear as day still from the ground.” Tweek swallowed hard, letting out a shaky sigh as he melted the ice and placed the ball of chain on the walk way slowly. Craig’s eyes widened, his eyes flashing with anger.

            “I want to do it.” He said, holding his hand out to Wendy for the cutters. She smiled a bit, passing them over. Craig looked at Tweek, Wendy walking away slowly and heading back down the steps, but she stopped about half way down, watching them through the side of the tank. Craig cut the chain, setting them aside and starting the task of untangling them. It took a few minutes, but he seemed happy to do it. She hummed, continuing the rest of the way down the steps. Craig didn’t look at Tweek’s face as he undid the chains, Tweek whimpering slightly. His hands were red from the pressure of the chains, a few bruises on them from when he tried to break them off and they dug into his skin.

            “C-Craig?” He eventually whispered, swallowing hard when he didn’t answer. “I-I didn’t mean to say that I didn’t _want_ you! I-I do! I have since that day I saved you. I’ve always wondered how you were doing, if you were happy, if you were safe. _Fuck_ , you occupied my mind for _years_! It took so long for me to push past the thoughts of you! And-and here you are, back in my life, and I-I’m fucking _ruining_ things! _Shit_! Why-why do I- _nng_ -do this?! Why do I ruin-”

            “Tweek, calm down.” It was a simple demand, but it meant the world to Tweek. _Okay, so maybe he isn’t mad for you trying to push him away five minutes ago_. He let out a shaky breath, watching Craig take his hearing aids off and set them in his jacket pocket. Tweek swallowed hard, not having seen Craig up close like this before. His t-shirt stretched across his chest, it seemed almost too small. His arms looked strong, his tan skin looked soft to the touch. He was simply beautiful.

            “Are-are you mad at me? I-I just, I didn’t mean what I said! I-I promise you I do want this! I want you! I-I, _fuck_ , I’m rambling again!” He tangled his fingers into his hair, his eyes locking with Craig’s as he continued. “I just didn’t want you to see my hands wrapped up! He-Luis-he did that so I couldn’t communicate with you! He was _so mad_. Wait! What-what if the security footage shows Wendy sneaking you in?! _Oh Jesus_ you’ll never be allowed to come back and Wendy’s going to get fired! Oh sweet Jesus I can’t lose you! I-I can’t-” Tweek gasped as his arm was grabbed, strong hands guiding him towards Craig. It was one swift motion: Craig’s other hand went to his wet curls, his head tilting to catch Tweek’s lips with his own. The song changed to a slower song as their lips met, the entire moment feeling surreal. Everything fell into slow motion for Craig. The music was fitting for how he was feeling: floating on cloud nine. Tweek’s lips were soft, the water was warm against his toes. Tweek’s hands wrapped around his neck, sharp finger nails playing with the hair at the base of Craig’s neck as Craig’s fingers tangled into the knotted locks that was Tweek’s hair. Tweek needed to feel Craig against him. _He craved it_. He tugged gently at Craig’s shirt, pulling away slightly to tug it over his head. He smiled a bit, running a finger nail down his chest slowly. Tweek smiled as Craig shivered, enjoying the reaction. Craig didn’t need to be told to get in the water, images of his dream flashing in his mind. _No. You’re not ruining this_. He thought, the water refreshing to his body. Tweek looked at him, green eyes wide. “Do you…trust me?” he whispered, Craig nodding. He pressed their lips together again, Tweek letting them sink into the water. The music was still clear as day to them as they sank deeper into the water, mouths pressed together. Craig was holding his breath, but soon realized that this time, being underwater felt…different. He took a slow breath through his nose, his chest moving with each breath he took. He smiled a bit against Tweek’s lips, realizing a little “mermaid magic” was causing all of this. Neither of them noticed, but the walls of the tank were fogging over as the kiss became more heated, Craig’s tongue licking lightly at Tweek’s bottom lip. They were in the middle of the tank, their hair floating around them in a pool of black and blonde. There was no space between them, all the creatures in the tank seeming excited for the blonde that’s kept them company for so long now. It was everything Craig had dreamed of, and to Tweek, it was a saving grace and the start of something new.

* * *

Wendy walked back towards the room about ten minutes after she left, singing softly to the song that played over the speaker throughout the aquarium.

            “ _Now, if I made you blue_

_I’ve had some heartaches too_

_I beg of you_

_Come on, forgive me.”_

She froze as she entered the room, noticing the glass fogging over. Wendy smiled slowly, leaning against the doorway of the room as she saw the two boys suspended in the middle of the water. They seemed completely entangled with each other, Craig’s arms wrapped tightly around Tweek’s waist to press him as close as possible to him, their mouths moving together as the fish swam around them, almost as if they were celebrating. She let out a soft laugh as the last little bit of glass fogged over, the boys no longer visible to her. Twirling her key ring around her finger, she turned on her heel, walking back down the hall as the music faded out and into the next song.

            _I’m laughing on the outside_

_Crying on the inside_

_‘Cause I’m so in love_

_With you_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two things: I told myself I wasn't going to make them kiss so fucking early in the story, but dammit, it was just so perfect. And I also lowkey ship Cryle (is that their name? I hope it is because they make me cry). I hope you enjoyed this chapter! It's super early in the morning and I really should be sleeping!!! Also: give the songs a listening to, especially the song that plays as they kiss!!! I use music a lot in my fics so get ready for some good jimmy jams to listen to. As always, any and all feedback is appreciated!  
> Songs:  
> My Girl- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZh7nRw6gl8  
> I Apologize- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMt7MLefOqY  
> Laughing on the Outside (I used this in my last fic, but damn, it's so good)- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmUEkQPE7fk


	5. Chapter 5

Craig’s heart was full as he left the aquarium with Wendy that night, a dreamy look on his face as they got in her car. He looked over at her once they got in, placing his hand over hers. She blinked, looking up at him.

            “Thank you.” He breathed out, smiling a bit. Wendy hummed, placing a gentle peck to his cheek.

            “You deserve it,” She started heading home, tapping his knee after a few minutes of driving to get his attention. “His birthday is coming up.” Craig blinked, his ears turning red.

            “Yeah? When?”

            “I think last week he said three weeks, so I guess in a few weeks now?” Craig smiled as he looked out the window. He knew exactly what he wanted to give Tweek already: _freedom._

* * *

 

The flashing of his alarm woke Craig the next morning, his entire morning routine having a little extra pep in his step. Tricia noticed it as they walked out to the car, a smirk on her face.

            “ _Did you get laid?”_ She signed, causing Craig to snort.

            “ _No. Just…kissed a super cute boy last night_.” Tricia smiled, noticing small slashes against Craig’s neck. She ran her thumb over it, watching her brother’s face turn a bright red.

            “ _It was the fucking mermaid, wasn’t it?”_ She signed, eyebrow raised. Craig didn’t respond, staring straight ahead as he drove, his hand subconsciously grabbing at the slash marks. _Dammit Tweek_. He couldn’t help but smile a bit at the memory of the blonde grabbing at his back, his sharp finger nails digging and scratching at his skin. It didn’t really hurt, instead jolts of pleasure running through Craig’s body. He realized he hadn’t answered Tricia yet, so he opted to flip her off instead. He saw her laugh out of the corner of his eye, the sight warming his heart. Once at school, Craig went straight to his locker, Kyle coming up and leaning against the locker next to his after a few minutes of Craig standing there. Craig looked over at him, smiling a bit. Kyle chuckled, reaching his hand out and running his finger-tips over the marks. Craig bit his lip, not knowing how he would react. He sighed a bit as he saw his lips turn up a bit.

            “I never thought you’d date a mermaid after me.” He murmured, Craig snorting.

            “I…never thought so either.” He smirked a bit, giving Kyle’s hand a squeeze.

            “Just be careful, yeah? I don’t need you getting arrested for sneaking into the aquarium.” Craig chuckled, draping his arm around his shoulder’s as they walked to their first class.

            “I’ve got my way in.”

            “Wendy?”

            “Mhm.” Kyle hummed a bit, stepping in front of him and walking backwards.

            “You should do her a favor.” Craig furrowed his brows after processing what he said.

            “Like what?” Kyle raised an eyebrow, nodding his head towards the bank of lockers behind Craig. He turned around, seeing Wendy leaning against the lockers as she talked with Stan. Craig suddenly got it, turning back around. He shrugged.

            “I’ll see what I can do. Hell, he’s your best friend.” Kyle snorted.

            “You’re the one using Wendy to make out with a mermaid.” Kyle let out a laugh as Craig punched his arm, both boys stumbling down the hall with their arms around each other as they laughed. How Craig got lucky enough to be this friendly with his ex, he wasn’t sure, but he was glad it happened. Kyle was always fun to hang out with, and he’d be bummed if they ceased communication after everything. Okay, it was hard at first. After all, they were each other’s first _everything_ (except for kissing. Craig’s first kiss was Heidi Turner at a house party when they played seven minutes in heaven in sixth grade before he came out. He’d never say it to her face, but that was part of the reason he figured out he was gay. She was a good kisser! Craig just didn’t feel anything). Craig still thoroughly enjoyed Kyle’s company, and he’ll always be thankful for everything Kyle has done to help him through school. He often gave him his notes if he didn’t get something in class and when Craig was teaching him ASL when they were together, he’d come over after school to practice (if they didn’t end up making out). The classes seemed to move pretty quickly today, probably because Craig was distracted half the time thinking about kissing Tweek. _God,_ it felt good to kiss a boy. Especially an incredibly beautiful boy. At lunch, however, the day took a little bit of a twist. It started out normally, the guys all sitting at a table and talking about some new video game that was coming out.

            “I don’t have that kind of fucking money!” Cartman whined, shoving a french fry into his mouth. “Like, where does Nintendo get off selling their shit for _sixty bucks_?!”

            “They need to make money too, dude.” Stan snorted, putting a fork full of pasta (Craig thinks it was pasta) into his mouth. Token snorted.

            “Look, I’ll buy it and we can all get together and play MarioKart, alright?”

            “At least one of us has money.” Clyde teased, yelping as Token kicked his shin under the table. Kenny opened his mouth to talk, but Wendy came rushing up to the table, slamming a piece of paper on the table with wide eyes. Craig blinked as he saw it, his cheeks turning a dark red as the guys all slowly turned to him (except Kyle). It was a poster that had been sent to Wendy by Luis, with an image of Craig on it and the words “ _BANNED FROM AQUARIUM”_ underneath.

            “What the fuck _did you do?!”_ Token yelled, shoving the paper into Craig’s face. Craig shoved it away, Kenny gasping.

            “Did you _fuck_ the _mermaid?!”_

“Kenny!” Wendy warned, smacking him on the arm. Kenny couldn’t help but laugh. Craig rubbed the back of his neck.

            “No…but…I-I may have…made out with him last night?” It took a moment, but the guys burst into cheers, Craig blinking as he realized they were _happy_. He let out a soft laugh, Wendy bringing them back down to Earth.

            “Guys! Don’t you realize that now Craig can’t _visit Tweek_?” They all blinked, Craig running his hands down his face. How was he even caught? They were careful! _Maybe this owner guy is just a fucking asshole that’s out to make Tweek as miserable as possible_. Kyle was the one to speak first.

            “Well…you know what we have to do, right?” They all turned to him, Wendy even curious.

            “W-What?” Jimmy asked, his brows furrowed. Kyle smirked.

            “Well, I’ve seen the owner of this place before in the room where Tweek is. I saw him kind of… _staring_ at everyone while they observed him. He obviously knows Craig because of his dark hair,” Kyle grinned slowly. “So, obviously, we have to change his hair.”

* * *

 

The hair color selection in the local drug store was horrendous. They were all shoving colors towards Craig, Wendy standing by watching in amusement.

            “Dude! Look! Blue! Like your hat!” Clyde laughed, Craig grimacing.

            “Are you fucking _kidding_ me?” He mumbled, leaning back against the shelf by Wendy. He glanced at the assortment of colors, blinking as he glanced at Kyle. He shoved past Stan, running his fingers over the boxes until he grabbed the color he wanted.

            “Wait!” Wendy grabbed his arm, Craig turning to face her. “You’ll need to bleach your hair for that color.” Craig shrugged, grabbing a box of hair bleach before making his way to the counter.

            “I take it pink is out of the question?!” Stan called out, causing Wendy to giggle. Craig smirked a bit, tucking a little note to himself into the back of his mind: _Hook Stan and Wendy up_. It was the least he could do, after all. She _did_ help him sneak into the aquarium. Once Craig paid, they all drove from the drug store to Token’s house. Wendy came along, too, who so kindly offered to help with the coloring process. He plopped onto the toilet lid as she started preparing the dye and bleach, Stan and Clyde sitting in with them while everyone else hung out in Token’s bedroom (he had a bathroom in his room, so they weren’t far). Wendy put on the plastic gloves, starting to run the bleach through Craig’s hair with her fingers.

            “You’re really going through with this?” Clyde asked, Craig reading his lips. He closed his eyes.

            “I have to see him, alright? I…I’ve never felt this way about anyone…”

            “Not even…?” Stan asked quietly, Craig blushing after he processed his words.

            “Yeah…but, it’s just…I had this reoccurring dream for…eight years,” He wasn’t going to tell them it actually happened. “And…there was a mermaid that looked _just like him_ and…he’s literally a _dream come true_.” He breathed out, biting on his bottom lip. Wendy smiled a bit, rubbing the bleach into his roots.

            “I think it’s sweet that you’re willing to go so far to see him.”

            “Well…yeah. He’s…incredible. And-and so fun to talk with. Hell, he knows _sign language_! It’s just…so easy to talk with him. Natural…” Craig had a lazy smile on his face as he thought about Tweek once more. As they sat there, Craig knew Tweek was thinking about him, a dull pain appearing in the back of his eyes. However, the pain wasn’t as excruciating as it has been. _Maybe it’s because we kissed_? Suddenly, Craig felt an overwhelming sense of _sadness_. He let out a shaky breath, his bottom lip quivering slightly. Wendy frowned, noticing his sudden mood change.

            “Craig?” She whispered, frowning as those blue eyes of his were filled with tears. “What’s wrong?” He sniffled, wiping the tears that fell.

            “I-I don’t know…I just…feel _so sad_.” He hiccupped, letting out a sob. Clyde blinked, looking at Wendy.

            “Does Tweek know that Craig has been banned?” Wendy gasped a bit, looking at Craig, who was sobbing into his hands.

            “No…but I’m sure my asshole boss told him…he’s probably crying in his tank and-”

            “Craig now feels his sadness.” Stan finished, watching in awe. Craig looked up, his face red and tear streaked as he slowly calmed back down.

            “I… _fuck_ , s-sorry.”

            “It isn’t your fault, dude.” Clyde said, patting his knee.

            “ _Literally_ , it isn’t your fault.” Stan said, Wendy giggling as she tugged the plastic gloves off as she finished applying the bleach. Cartman poked his head into the bathroom, brows furrowed.

            “Who the fuck is crying?”

            “No one!” They all said at once, Eric holding his hands up in mock defense as he closed the door. They talked amongst themselves while the bleach worked its magic, Clyde snickering a bit as the darkness of Craig’s hair was soon replaced with blonde.

            “You look like someone on Game of Thrones.” He teased, causing Craig to snort.

            “I take that as a compliment.” He chuckled, letting Wendy rinse his hair out. Once it was completely free of the bleach, he dried his hair with a towel, looking at himself in the mirror. He immediately burst out laughing, tossing the door open so everyone could see. Kyle was the first to notice, busting into a fit of laughter as everyone turned to look at him. They all laughed too, Token falling to his knees.

            “You look like a fucking boy band reject!” He laughed, Craig grinning as he shut the door before Eric could take his picture. Wendy grinned, using a blow dryer to finish drying his hair. Once it was dry, they repeated the process with the hair dye, this time Clyde looking at Craig in surprise as they washed the color out.

            “I…can kind of dig it?” He murmured, Stan snorting.

            “He just looks like Kyle.” Craig looked at himself, his hair a very orangey red, and yes, it was very similar to Kyle’s. He rummaged through the underside of Token’s sink, pulling out the electric razor and plugging it in. Wendy smirked.

            “Are you doing what I think you’re doing?” Craig sighed.

            “I don’t want to because I know I’ll look like a _fucking douchebag_ , but I gotta change the style of it, too.” Wendy hummed, nodding slowly. Craig sighed before starting the process of buzzing some of his hair off, styling it so it was an undercut. Stan helped with the back of his head, Craig running his fingers through the soft tuft of hair that remained. He hummed, looking at himself in the mirror.

            “It isn’t…awful.” Clyde said, staring at Craig in the mirror. He shrugged, walking out into Token’s room. They didn’t laugh this time, all of them staring at him.

            “Ho-holy sh-sh- _shit_.” Jimmy said, Craig smirking a bit. Token nodded slowly.

            “I approve of this.” He murmured, Craig snorting.

            “You’re a fucking ginger, dude, but I mean…it sort of fits you?” Eric added. Kyle just smirked at Craig, his eyes flicking up to his own curly red hair. Craig chuckled, rolling his eyes.

            “Look, you’re gonna need a disguise of some sort, too, for the next time you go see him. So, take something from my closet you wouldn’t normally wear.” Token said, Craig blushing a bit as he finished reading his lips.

            “Dude, I can’t-”

            “Craig…this is important to you. That means it’s important to all of us.” Craig smiled a bit, his chest swelling with gratitude.

            “Thank you…,” He murmured, Wendy coming over to help Token pick out an outfit. While they were searching through, Craig looked up from his feet and blinked. “What would you all say to helping me break Tweek out in two weeks?” They stopped, staring at him.

            “And _how_ do you plan on doing that?” Stan asked, his brows furrowed. Craig smirked.

            “Don’t worry. I have a plan.”

* * *

 

After all this time wondering if Craig was okay and happy and safe, he was already gone from Tweek’s life. When Luis told Tweek he banned Craig as punishments for his chains being removed (he didn’t mention Wendy what so ever), Tweek fell back into his depressive state. The water didn’t change this time, Tweek’s body shutting down entirely, meaning his abilities were not working as they should. Pluto was more concerned than ever, trying to urge Tweek to interact with people. The blonde finally did after the third day of no Craig, putting on a fake smile as he waved to small children and ignored the creepy guys staring at him. _Don’t look at me like that._ Tweek had to resists the urge to scream as he saw Blake walk in with Luis that afternoon, hating the way Blake stared at him. After everything he did, Tweek was glad Blake was on the other side of the glass. There’s no telling what he’d do if he got ahold of him again. As they left, Tweek sighed, letting his fake persona fall as he laid down in the sand. He blinked as a little boy rushed up to the glass by him, a sad look on his face. He had dark hair and bright blue eyes. _Just like Craig_. Tweek smiled a bit, sitting up on his elbows so he was eye level with the boy. He waved to him, watching the boy giggle a bit and wave back. The boy pressed a kiss to the glass, the motion filling Tweek’s heart with a sentiment of hope. He smiled at the boy, blowing him a kiss and watching the young boy cover his mouth with his hands as he laughed. He chuckled a bit, pushing himself up into a sitting position. The boy looked back as his mom called his name, waving once more to Tweek as he rushed off. He followed the boy until he reached his mom, who was sitting on a bench next to a boy with bright red hair. He looked… _familiar_. Tweek squinted, trying to make out the face of the person across the dimly lit room. He wore a red Hawaiian shirt that had big palm leaves and hibiscuses on it and black jeans, white Converse on his feet. He had round wired glasses, but they didn’t look like a strong prescription. He blinked as the boy walked towards him slowly, those bright blue eyes becoming clear the closer he got to the glass. Tweek’s eyes widened, trying to contain his happiness as he saw Craig step up to the glass. He looked… _incredible_. Even with his new hair and the glasses and outfit he would never imagine Craig wearing, he still looked beautiful. Craig looked around a bit, keeping his hands low as he signed, his eyes never leaving Tweek’s face.

            “ _Like the new look_?” Tweek let out a soft laugh, looking around before signing back.

            “ _It suites you_.”

            “ _Keep conversations short.”_ Craig glanced around, trying to see if anyone was watching them.

            “ _Why are you here?”_

_“Had to see you.”_

_“I missed you.”_

_“I know.”_

_“How?”_

_“I felt your sadness.”_ Tweek blushed a bit, biting his lip.

            “ _Sorry_.”

            “ _Don’t be…why does it happen?”_

 _“We’re connected now…romantically.”_ Craig nodded slowly.

            “ _Figured as much.”_ Tweek smiled a bit as Pluto climbed onto his lap, Craig smiling as he squatted down to wave to the octopus. He seemed to remember Craig, pressing a suctioned tentacle to the glass and tugging it away as a way of saying _hello_. Craig chuckled, staying squatted down.

            “ _I can’t stop thinking about you. Sorry if there’s any pain caused to you_.” Craig smiled a bit, pressing his hand gently against the glass. Tweek smiled, pressing his hand against his side of the glass. They were so close, yet so far, and it made both boys ache for each other even more. Craig stood slowly, looking around once more before turning back to Tweek.

            “ _We’re going to get you out of here.”_ Tweek blinked, pushing off the ground so he was eye level with Craig.

            “ _When? How? Why?”_

 _“Your birthday. We’re figuring that out. So you can escape this living Hell.”_ Tweek blushed a bit, smiling slowly. His heart fluttered at the thought of getting out of this God forsaken tank.

            “ _Okay_.” Craig hummed, glancing around quickly before pressing his lips to the tank as fast as he could. A lip mark was left as he pulled away, and Tweek grinned at the sight of it.

            “ _I’ll be back in a few days, okay?”_ Tweek nodded, waving as he turned and walked out of the room. Tweek laid down in the sand again, Pluto resting on his chest as he grinned.

            “Hear that, buddy? They’re gonna get me out of here…don’t worry, I’ll bring you along.” Tweek rubbed his head gently, Pluto nuzzling into the touch. The water was more clear than usual, part of it stemming from just how _happy_ Tweek was. He spent the rest of the night lying in the sand, partially so he could stare at the lip marks that made his stomach flip with excitement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember how I said I wasn't going to upload every day? Well, I've literally done that. EXCEPT! I will more than likely NOT upload tomorrow because my dad and brother are coming to spend the night tomorrow for the Eagles super bowl parade on Thursday! I'm also incredibly busy right now with school and work and I've been up until 3 am three nights in a row now, and I can't keep doing that, so please forgive me if my uploading schedule changes! As always, any and all feedback is appreciated, and give my tumblr a follow if you haven't already! I love hearing from you all over there!! :) crowded-skies.tumblr.com


	6. Chapter 6

Craig kept his promise to visit Tweek a few days after his last visit, but, as much as he didn’t want to, he stayed away from the aquarium until it got closer to Tweek’s birthday. He was already banned from the aquarium, so he was technically trespassing every time he went to the place, but he loved sneaking in right under that asshole owner’s nose. Craig had also become busy with school, track, and now he picked up a job as a busser at the local diner. He wanted to work there for the summer, but they were happy to have him on earlier than that. It was a Friday night and the diner was relatively empty, so Craig sat at the counter, talking to Bebe Stevens, who waitressed at the diner.

            “Do you think anyone will come in that we know?” She asked, cleaning milkshake glasses. Craig has known Bebe since elementary school, but they never really talked much. All he knows is that Clyde has been fawning after her since they met.

            “I think the guys said they might swing by later.” He said, rolling up silverware. Bebe’s face turned a light red, making her already bright red lips pop.

            “Do you think…Clyde might come?” Craig furrowed his brows.

            “Who?” She thought a moment, Craig blinking as she signed out Clyde’s name. “You-”

            “I don’t know how to sign. I just know the alphabet.” Craig nodded slowly, a small smile tugging at his lips.

            “Why do you know it?”

            “I just…ASL has always been interesting to me. I just don’t have the patience to sit down and learn it.” Craig chuckled, walking behind the counter to tuck the rolls of silverware in the container they sit in. He leaned his elbows against the counter next to Bebe.

            “I could teach you when it’s slow like this.” Bebe blinked, her eyes wideneing a bit.

            “You’d…do that for me?” Craig smirked.

            “Sure. I mean, there’s literally not much else for us to do. Hell, it would be great to have someone else use sign language around this damn town.” Bebe snorted as Craig walked back around the other side to sit back down on a stool.

            “That would be…cool…thanks, Craig.” She smiled a bit, twirling a curl around her finger. Craig gave a nod, glancing over as a few teens got up from their table. He waited until they left before he stood, glancing over his shoulder.

            “And to answer your question about Clyde, they’re here.” Bebe yelped, rushing over to the coffee machine to look at her reflection in the metal, fixing up her hair and reapplying a little lipstick. Craig chuckled as he cleared off the table, taking all the dishes to the back for the dishwasher. When he went back out to wipe down the table, the guys were already huddled into a booth, Bebe talking to them. After he wiped down the table, Craig made his way over to the booth, leaning his forearm against the top of the booth behind Kyle’s head. He gave his shoulder a squeeze, the red head glancing up and giving him a small smile. Bebe was leaning against the other side of the booth by Clyde, talking quietly with him after she took everyone’s drink order.

            “How’s everything at the ol’ tank, Craig?” Kenny asked, elbowing Cartman to get him to give him _some_ space. Craig hummed, leaning against the heel of his hand.

            “I haven’t been there in a week or so now. I’m trying to give the place some space so I don’t draw attention to myself.” Stan snorted.

            “You dyed your hair red, I don’t know how you _don’t_ draw more attention to your- _ow_!” Token smacked him upside the head, causing Craig to snort.

            “Isn’t his b-b-birthday come-coming up?” Jimmy asked, taking a sip of his soda as Bebe returned with all their drinks.

            “I think it’s Sunday.” Craig said, rubbing the back of his neck as the guys stared at him.

            “Isn’t that the day we…ya know.” Cartman said, sipping his milkshake.

            “Yeah,” Craig tugged a chair over, taking a pen from Bebe’s apron and grabbing a napkin as he sat down. “We need to go over the game plan.”

* * *

 

Tweek was bored without Craig to come talk to him. Hell, he just missed Craig. He missed the way his skin felt against his, the way his lips felt trailing down his jaw to his neck. _He missed his Craig_. Tweek let out a sigh, watching the janitor clean the floor outside his tank. The older man was clearly trying to ignore him, and it kind of hurt Tweek. He wasn’t some animal. He had feelings, too. A lot of people in this place don’t seem to realize that. He heard footsteps above him, swimming upwards slowly. When he surfaced, he gasped as he saw Wendy with something sweet and yummy looking in her hands.

            “Happy almost Birthday!” She said, a grin on her face. Tweek grinned slowly, resting his arms on the walkway as he giggled.

            “Thanks Wendy,” He looked at the thing in her hands, eyes full of wonder. “What is this?” He asked, taking it from her gently.

            “A cupcake! It’s a sweet treat that is often given to people on their birthdays. The thing in it is a candle. You light it up, make a wish, and then blow it out. Don’t tell anyone your wish, though, or else it might not come true.” She used a lighter that was in her pocket (she bought it on the way to work), Tweek jumping a bit at the flame on the candle. Tweek’s mouth hung open a bit, watching in amazement as the flame danced back and forth.

            “It’s…beautiful.” He whispered, pulling it closer to his face to stare at the flame. Wendy giggled a bit.

            “Make a wish, Tweek.” Tweek blinked, nodding slowly as he closed his eyes, a small smile spreading across his lips as all he saw was Craig. He hummed, blowing the candle out. He missed the orange glow, but he really hoped his wish comes true. Wendy took the candle out, showing him the proper way to peel the wrapping off and eat a cupcake. Tweek watched with careful eyes, nodding along to her instructions. He took a big bite, his cheeks puffed out as he ate. He hummed, his eyes closing as the sweet flavor filled his mouth. Once he swallowed, he looked up at Wendy, a happy glint in his eyes.

            “This is so yummy!” He giggled, taking another big bite. Pluto appeared next to him, climbing up his torso and resting on top of his head. Wendy laughed, rubbing his head. “Oh!” Tweek broke a piece off, holding it up to Pluto. He accepted it, nuzzling into Tweek’s hair after he happily ate the small piece of cupcake. Once Tweek finished, he leaned his arms back on the walkway, looking up at Wendy who had a grin on her face.

            “I got you a present.” Tweek blinked, blushing.

            “You didn’t have to…” He breathed out, grinning into his arms. Wendy hummed, pulling out a small sack from behind her back. Tweek blinked, grabbing the sack immediately and squealing. There was no mistaking the words written across it: _Coffee Beans_.

            “Surprise!” Wendy giggled, sitting down on the walkway as Tweek tugged the little sack open. He popped a few coffee beans into his mouth, humming in content as the familiar taste filled his mouth and the aroma filled the air. He bit down on one, sighing as he felt his muscles relaxing already.

            “How did you-”

            “Craig mentioned to me that you liked coffee beans. I thought it would be a nice gift. I’ll keep them in my work locker and bring some up from now on when I come to feed you.” Tweek blushed, grinning as he continued to pop coffee beans into his mouth. After about an hour of hanging out with Wendy (and eating _delicious_ coffee beans), Wendy bid him goodnight and left Tweek to his thoughts once more. As he floated back down to the bottom of the tank with Pluto resting on his stomach, Tweek felt hopeful. Tomorrow, Tweek would be out of here. Craig would rescue him. He’d be free.

* * *

 

It wasn’t the text Craig wanted to see when he first woke up. He felt sick. He texted all the guys, telling them to meet him at the aquarium because it was an emergency. They weren’t meant to meet up until two, but Craig needed them all there. He didn’t even drive, running as fast as he could across town. Craig was the last one there, but he didn’t care. He barreled through the guys, paying quickly before taking off through the aquarium. They yelled after him as he ran, but he couldn’t hear them anyways. His chest hurt from running so much, but the angry tears stinging his eyes helped him press on. The usual blue light at the end of the hall was off, his chest tightening as he pushed through the closed doors of Tweek’s room. It was dark. It was barren. His tank was empty. He gripped at his hair, tugging on it as angry tears fell down his cheeks. _Why is this happening?!_ Wendy walked in from the employee’s entrance, her eyes red from crying as well. She sniffled, wrapping an arm around Craig’s waist. He jumped, turning to see it was her. Wendy hated the way his face twisted up as he let out a sob, his head falling to bury into her shoulder as he finally broke down. She rubbed his back, squeezing her eyes shut. The rest of the guys burst into the room, all of them realizing the extent of the situation as they wandered over to the empty tank. The water was still there, but it might as well be empty without Tweek in it. Wendy had texted Craig as soon as she walked into work and saw the tank empty. She tried to get answers from anybody, but nobody knew why the mermaid was gone. The sound of Craig’s gut-wrenching sobs echoed through the room, the boy sobbing until his throat felt raw. This was the day Tweek was meant to be free, the day their plan went into action. He couldn’t _do that_ unless he was _here_! He sniffled eventually, wiping his eyes with the back of his hands as he walked towards the tank. Clyde reached a hand out, placing it on his shoulder.

            “I’m…sorry, dude.” He murmured, the air thick with tension. Craig slammed his fists against the thick tank glass, the thud echoing through the heavy room. Everyone took a small step back, knowing two things about Craig Tucker when he was angry: he could hit like a mother fucker, and he’s ready to kill at any point.

            “Where’s the owner?” His voice was gruff with anger as he stared at his reflection in the glass, the emptiness of it mocking him. Wendy bit her lip as Craig turned around, his face showing no emotion anymore.

            “He hasn’t come in today. I don’t-I don’t know where he’s at.” She explained.

            “Was it just…empty when you came in today?” Kenny asked. Wendy nodded.

            “I-I gave him a birthday gift and a cupcake last night before leaving! I-I don’t know how he could’ve disappeared in the span of twelve hours!” She let out a sob, worried for her friend. Stan wrapped a comforting arm around her, Wendy falling against his chest as she sobbed again. Craig went to speak again, but froze as the doors opened. Everyone turned to look at who was walking in, Craig’s fist clenching at his sides as Blake walked in.

            “Who are you people?” Blake asked, hands clasped behind his back.

            “Where is he?” Craig said, taking a few steps towards him. Blake hummed.

            “Have I seen you before?” His eyes narrowed as he smirked a bit.

            “Not important. Now answer my question.” Blake snorted, running a hand through his hair.

            “Listen, what my uncle decided to do with him is none of-” Everyone seemed to have forgotten how fast Craig was as he grabbed Blake by his shirt, shoving him against the wall.

            “Don’t fucking tell me _bullshit_! Where _the fuck_ is he?!” He yelled, his eyes dark with anger. Blake smirked, holding his hands up in mock defense.

            “I’m not talking.”

            “Fine.” Craig let him go, taking a few steps away as everyone else took a few steps back. Blake smoothed out his shirt, chuckling.

            “You don’t deserve to see him anymore, anyways. He’s a pesky little mermaid. A shame he trusted me so easily with his heart.” Craig had never felt so angry in his life, his fists moving before he even registered his actions. He grabbed Blake by his shoulders, shoving him to the ground and jumping on top of him. Blake managed to get a few punches in, but Craig continued to punch him as many times as he could before Stan and Clyde tugged him off.

            “ _YOU_ hurt him?! Don’t you _EVER_ talk about him like that! _You fucking asshole!_ It’s your fault he was here! I will fucking _kill you_!” He yelled, his eye already bruising from the punch Blake managed to land. Blake stumbled back, but Token and Cartman grabbed him before he could run off.

            “Now hold on a minute, fancy pants,” Cartman chuckled, pushing him down onto a bench. “We’re not leaving until we find out where mermaid boy is.” Craig spat the blood out of his mouth, Kyle wrapping an arm around him to keep him grounded. If anyone knew Craig, it was definitely Kyle. Blake spat as well, wiping his nose with the back of his hand, blood smearing across his skin.

            “I’m not talking.” He groaned, Jimmy smirking.

            “E-Eric, you-you know wh-what to do.” Eric grinned slowly, Kenny holding one of Blake’s arms while Token held the other. Cartman stuck a finger in his mouth, his jaw moving as his tongue swirled around his finger. He pulled it out with a _pop_ , sticking it into Blake’s ear.

            “ _Fuck_!” He yelled out, squirming under the grip of Kenny and Token.

            “Where’s Tweek?” Kenny asked, staring at Blake.

            “Ngh! I’m not-not talking!” He croaked out, face twisted up in disgust. Token snorted.

            “Eric?” Cartman grinned again, grabbing ahold of Blake’s nipples through his shirt and twisting. Craig couldn’t help but smile a bit at the way his legs kicked, and considering he couldn’t hear his yelling, it was a perfect indicator for his pain.

            “ _Fuck_! Knock it off!”

            “We want to know where he is!” Wendy said, walking over. “Where did Luis send him?!” Blake opened his mouth, but quickly snapped it back shut, grunting as Eric let go.

            “Oh, still not talking, huh?” Kenny said, Token and him moving Blake to the ground so he laid on his stomach. Eric put a leg on either side of him, sitting in the middle of his back. Blake let out a groan, his legs kicking as he struggled to breath a bit.

            “Where is he, asshole?!” Wendy shouted, Eric wiggling his hips to dig his tailbone into Blake’s back.

            “ _GOD DAMMIT! DENVER!_ ” He gasped out, Wendy blinking.

            “Where in Denver?!”

            “D-Denver Aquarium! L-Luis owns that one, too!” Wendy looked up at Eric, nodding for him to stand. Cartman stood up, spitting on the back of Blake’s head before getting up. They all left quickly, even Wendy, Kyle keeping his arm around Craig as they walked. Craig kept his eyes cast on the ground, spitting again as the cut on his lip filled his mouth with blood.   
            “Meet at my place.” Token said as they all got into their respective cars, Craig instinctively getting into Kyle’s. Once they were alone, Kyle reached out and put a hand on Craig’s.

            “Craig?” He whispered, blinking as Craig laced their fingers together slowly. He dropped his head to Kyle’s shoulders, his eyes closed as he took deep breaths to stop the flood of emotions he was feeling. He was sad. Sad that the day Tweek was supposed to be free, he finds out he’s stuck in another tank in Denver. He was angry. Angry that Blake felt like he could talk about Tweek that way. He was happy. Happy he knew where Tweek was. He was _lonely_. And he needed Kyle to hold him.

            “Hold me.” He mumbled, sighing a bit as he felt his arms wrap slowly around him. Kyle buried his face into Craig’s hair, placing light kisses to his head to relax him as he rubbed small circles in his back. They sat like that for a good ten minutes before Craig lifted his head up, his left eye swollen slightly from the punch. Kyle smiled sadly, running his thumb lightly under the bruising eye.

            “You never could quite hold your temper.” He whispered, Craig chuckling slightly after he processed what he said. Suddenly, he realized something.

            “Are you… _okay_ …in helping me with this, Kyle?” Kyle furrowed his brows.

            “What do you mean?”

            “I mean…we dated, dude. And-and here you are, helping me break the guy I like out of…a tank.” Kyle smirked a bit, looking at his feet as he blushed a bit.

            “It…sucks a bit. Because I’m glad you’re moving on! But…I-I haven’t really moved on yet.” He admitted, Craig blushing a bit. He bit his lip, wincing a bit as he bit into the cut, but then frowned.

            “Kyle…”

            “Craig…it’s…it’s okay,” He smiled a bit. “It is. _I’m_ okay. All I really want is for you to be happy,” Craig felt his stomach lurch, feeling sick that he never considered Kyle’s feelings during all of this. He couldn’t help himself. Leaning forward, he closed the gap between them, pressing their lips together in a gentle kiss. Maybe he wasn’t over Kyle? _No. You are. You’re just lonely_ _and sad_. Their hands instinctively went to their faces, holding onto each other as they kissed softly. Kyle pulled away slowly, Craig brushing their lips together as he leaned their foreheads together. Kyle let out a breathless laugh. “N-Now, why’d you gotta go and do that?”

            “Because I’m being a major asshole to you,” He whispered, Kyle’s eyes softening a bit. “I’m sorry, Kyle. I didn’t…I didn’t know you weren’t-”

            “Craig,” Kyle put his thumb over his lip, smiling a bit. His eyes crinkled a bit, which Craig loves so much when he smiles. “I’m okay. I really am,” He pulled away slowly, both boys settling into the seats of the car as Kyle reached over, lacing their fingers together. “Come on, everyone’s probably wondering what the fuck we’re doing.”

* * *

Craig paced around Token’s room in front of the white board Token had there for some reason, a marker bouncing back and forth between his middle and index finger as he thought.

            “So…what’s the plan, Craig?” Stan asked, arms resting on his knees as he leaned against the foot of the bed. Craig waved his hand to dismiss him, running the hand through his red hair as he thought. He blinked, quickly rushing to the board. He started writing out a list, and once he stepped back, he used the marker as a pointer, the sound of plastic hitting the white board making everyone jump.

            “First things first we have to go to Denver. We need to go up for a day and scope out the place. We don’t know the layout of it and we don’t know the kind of tank Tweek is being held in,” He pulled his arm back to then tap the marker next to the next item on the list. “Second, we have to then go back to the aquarium on a separate weekend and go on both Saturday and Sunday. We go on Saturday to get a final lay of the lands and then back on Sunday to actually bust him out. After that, it’s just like we planned for today. We follow the same plan we had set up.” They all nodded slowly, Craig looking at Kyle who gave him a knowing smile. He felt relaxed after seeing that smile, leaning against the white board as he sighed.

            “When are we gonna go up?” Token asked. Craig blinked, furrowing his brows. He glanced to Kyle, who signed to him. Craig nodded, looking back at Token.

            “I’m hoping we go up the first time sometime this week. Then the second time within the next two weeks.” Token nodded. Wendy stood up, looking at them.

            “What exactly _is_ your plan once you get in the aquarium?” They all grinned slowly, Stan standing up and whispering it into her ear. Kyle couldn’t help but grin behind his arms at how red Wendy got. She looked at them all, snorting. “You think it’ll work?” Craig looked at his feet as he grinned.

            “I don’t know,” He looked back up at her. “But we’re doing it.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! This week has been so crazy so I apologize for my absence. I went to a tattoo convention today and got a second tattoo (it's an ocean wave, how appropriate for this fic) and now I'm back! So much angst in this chapter, but don't worry! Next chapter is the break out! I want to thank you all for the wonderful fan art I've been tagged in on tumblr! The work you all put into it warms my heart and I can't thank you enough for drawing and reading this story! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and, as always, any and all feedback is appreciated! Give my tumblr a follow if you haven't already! crowded-skies.tumblr.com


	7. Chapter 7

The first thing Craig did when he got home that night was get a shower. He needed to wash the blood off his face and he needed to clear his mind. Leaning his forehead against the wall of the shower, he closed his eyes, thinking about what Tweek must be thinking, doing, feeling. He was so _worried_ for the blonde. He couldn’t imagine being thrusted into a new environment already, and who knows what the _fuck_ this _Luis_ guy is making him do in Denver. Turning the water off, Craig stepped out, grabbing his towel and drying off quickly, staring at himself in the mirror. It was still strange seeing himself with red hair, but he did enjoy the undercut. He let out a sigh as he poked at the bruise under his right eye, wincing a bit as it hurt. He expected the pain, but it was somewhat distracting him from his restless thoughts about Tweek. _God_ , he missed him. He missed the feeling of him against his chest and the feeling of his skin underneath his lips and the feeling of those _nails_ of his digging into his back. Craig grunted at the thought, trying to push it out of his mind. He needed a better distraction. Walking down the hall in big strides, Craig reached his room in no time, shutting his door behind him. He tugged on a pair of sweatpants and a crop top (yes, Craig Tucker had a crop top. Tricia made it for him for his sixteenth birthday. It had the _Rush_ logo on it) before flopping onto his bed. Craig tugged his bedside drawer open, rummaging around it before he found what he was looking for: his weed stash. Now, Craig doesn’t smoke weed very often, but he does enjoy the way he feels like he’s floating and how relaxed he gets. No one was home, anyways, so he might as well have a little fun while he sat alone in his thoughts. He grinded some up before grabbing some rolling paper, using a textbook that was nearby as a flat surface on the bed. After he finished rolling up the joint, he plopped down onto his beanbag chair after putting some music on (Craig could feel the vibrations through his feet, often walking around barefoot in the house to feel the vibrations of people walking and sounds from the TV and his music). The light thumping of the bass of the rock song tickled the bottoms of his feet, but it was sensational to him. Craig leaned forward, tucking the joint behind his ear as he rummaged through his video games. He settled on _Grand Theft Auto_ since that game required the least amount of thinking for him, pushing the disc into his Xbox. Reaching for the zippo lighter on his dresser (which was his favorite lighter), he tugged the joint out from behind his ear, flicking the zippo to life and inhaling deeply as the joint lit up. It burnt like a mother fucker, but it was doing its job in distracting Craig. He exhaled, coughing a few times as he started up the game, losing any sense of time and reality as the pot coursed through his body. After about his fourth hit from the joint, Craig started feeling that floating sensation, a lazy grin on his face as he played his video games and let the bass of his music dance along the soles of his feet. He hadn’t even thought about Tweek for a good forty-five minutes. That is, until he noticed a soft glow coming from his dresser. Craig furrowed his brows, thinking it was just his imagination, or, considering he was _very_ high, it was the weed. The light only grew brighter, Craig pausing the game and his music as he stood and walked over to his dresser. It was the conch shell Tweek gave him. Grumbling, Craig lifted it to his ear, blinking as he heard Tweek’s voice.

            “-just miss you, alright? I know you’re probably doing something with your family or-or even moving on from me, which is okay! I just…hope you know how much I like you and enjoyed our time together…” Craig blinked, his head spinning as he sat back down in the bean bag chair.

            “I like you too…” There was only breathing on the other side for a few moments.

            “You can…hear me, Craig?”

            “Yeah…’m I… _imagining this_?” He said slowly, lulling his head back into his bean bag chair. His eyes were stinging, so he squeezed them shut and rubbed his left eye with the heel of his hand.

            “No…it…it’s me…are you okay?”

            “I’m _very_ high.” He chuckled, looking at the glow stars on his ceiling. No wonder why he felt like he was floating: his room was literally space themed.

            “I don’t…know what that means…but…you don’t sound hurt so…”

            “’m fine, Tweek. How…can we talk? I thought…we had to be near each other…?”

            “If I’m being honest…I don’t… _really know_. I-I don’t even know where _I am_.” He breathed out, that sound resonating within Craig.

            “You’re in Denver. About…two hours away from us? Yeah… _two_.” Craig giggled a bit, rolling onto his stomach on the bean bag chair. He even kicked his legs in the air as he listened to Tweek continue on.

            “Okay…I… _fuck_ …this is the worst birthday ever.” Craig blinked, blushing as he remembered it was Tweek’s birthday.

            “Happy birthday, Tweek.” He whispered, his eyes closing. What he would do to have Tweek here with him.

            “Thank you, Craig…eighteen sucks so far.” Craig snorted, drawing shapes on the ground with his finger.

            “It’ll get better…I promise. We’re…gonna come and getcha.”

            “Who’s we?” Craig grinned slowly, glancing at the group picture he had on his bedside table.

            “You’ll see.”

* * *

 

Their first trip to Denver came on Friday immediately after school, which means Craig had the longest week of his life. Classes were unbearable, socializing was the most difficult thing of Craig’s life during the week, and even trying to sign to his family was exhausting. As the last bell of the day rang, however, Craig felt a jolt of energy as he rushed to his locker, grabbing everything he needed for the weekend. They all met at their cars, most of them carpooling. The first car contained Token, Jimmy, Cartman, Clyde, and Kenny. The second car (which was Craig’s car), contained Kyle, Wendy, and Stan. As they hit the road, Craig was relatively quiet, glancing back into the back seat to see both Stan and Wendy flirting. This was actually the first time he’s seen Stan reciprocate the flirting, which surprised him. Wendy and him “dated” as children, but once they got to middle school, Wendy went her way and Stan went his. Craig things Wendy has never stopped loving him, but he could be wrong. He glanced over at Kyle, who was staring out the window with a content look on his face. As he turned his attention back to the road, Craig reached over and gave his knee a squeeze, giving him a thankful look as Kyle turned to look at him. He knows this is killing Kyle, and he feels _terrible_ for it, but he’s still thankful to him for all of his help. Kyle put his hand on top of Craig’s, smiling a bit as he turned his attention back out the window. The drive was relatively quick despite it being a Friday evening, all of them arriving at the aquarium around five o’clock. It was definitely larger than South Park’s aquarium, so they’d have to look through the entire building probably until they found Tweek. After paying, they split up to search for Tweek: Jimmy and Token together, Cartman and Kenny together, Stan and Wendy together, and Clyde, Craig, and Kyle together. They were only separated for about twenty minutes when Kenny texted their group chat.

            _Second floor. The performance tank_.

Craig’s heart clenched as he read those words, Clyde biting his lip as they rushed to the second floor. They saw Eric and Kenny standing right in the entryway of the performance tank, Craig’s heart stopping momentarily as they had Tweek _performing_ for people now. He looked miserable. Well, he had a smile on his face, but Craig could _feel_ how miserable he was. They had put some stupid head dress on him, the shells on it shimmering with the same silvery purple tint that his scales gave off. He did stupid tricks and showed off his powers, which made Craig even angrier. Kenny blinked as he watched Tweek twirl his arms around, a trail of water lifting him out of the water. It surrounded his tail still, his hips moving to show off his tail in the water. Kenny assumed he was moving to keep himself in place. He also noticed the slight bubbling of the water. _Is it boiling_? He glanced over at Craig, remembering how when Craig cried and felt Tweek’s sadness. Well, Craig looked _angry_. Wendy rushed up with Stan behind them, blinking as she saw the boiling water as well.

            “Is he-”

            “No.” Kenny murmured, nodding his head towards Craig. His fists were clenched at his sides as Wendy glanced over at him, blinking as she saw Tweek struggling to keep the fake smile on his face. _Shit_.

            “Craig,” She put a hand on his arm, his skin hot. “Craig, look at me.” She placed her hand on his jaw, guiding his head to turn to look at her. His eyes showed nothing but anger.

            “Why is he _doing this_?” He hissed between his teeth, chest heaving as he tried not to let his emotions consume him.

            “I don’t…I don’t know. But you can’t get mad. It’s effecting Tweek.” She whispered, Craig furrowing his brows.

            “I don’t…,” Kyle moved behind Wendy, signing slowly to him as he tried to remember the hand gestures. Craig blinked, glancing out at Tweek. He finally noticed the boiling water, blushing a bit. “O-Oh…” He cleared his throat, moving out of the room to calm himself. Looking out the window, Craig started thinking on what to do. He couldn’t leave Denver knowing Tweek is being used as some _puppet_ to bring in money. It made him _sick_. He saw everyone else’s reflections appear behind him, swallowing hard as he turned around.

            “You okay?” Clyde asked, seeing the look on his friend’s face. Craig nodded slowly, looking at his feet for a second. He sighed, looking back up.

            “We do it tomorrow.” They blinked.

            “What do-” He didn’t let Wendy finish.

            “I can’t…I can’t leave him here. Not when this _fucker_ is using him as some _toy_ to get money.” He hissed, everyone glancing between themselves. Kenny shrugged eventually.

            “What the hell. We already have all the stuff in Craig’s trunk.” They nodded slowly, everyone eventually coming to a general consensus: they weren’t leaving Denver without Tweek.

* * *

 

The layout of where they kept Tweek was relatively simple. He stayed in the performance tank, which wasn’t awful for Tweek because it was definitely more spacious, and he had Pluto with him. There was a set of steps that led up the side of the tank and a small walkway, much like at South Park’s aquarium, to the side of the tank. The room itself didn’t have a lot of security, surprisingly, but they would still need to distract the security guard watching the cameras. As they took one last look around the room, Craig walked up to the glass tank, enjoying the way Tweek’s eyes lit up as he rushed over to the tank. He grinned slowly at him, blowing him a quick kiss before signing to him.

            “ _We’re getting you out of here tomorrow. Can’t talk now. But have everything you want to take with you_.” Tweek nodded, his cheeks a light pink as he waved to everyone and Craig. As they walked out, Tweek grinned. _That’s who he meant by “we”_. He thought, giggling softly as he swam down to see Pluto. He scooped him up in his arms, kissing the top of his head.

            “They’re here, buddy. They’re gonna get us out of here.” He whispered against the slick skin of the octopus, the creature wriggling happily in his arms. Tweek grinned, putting on one last good performance that evening. He gave it his all, only because he knew, but Luis didn’t, he was closing up shop.

* * *

 

After everyone called their parents to say they were spending the night and a good night’s rest in a nearby hotel, they woke up ready to go. Kenny and Clyde walked over first, both boys being the look outs at Tweek’s tank. Wendy and Stan were the next two to move in, both hiding a bunch of supplies under their jackets as they walked in. They decided to wander around to not draw attention to themselves. Eric, Token, and Jimmy were next, and they were the distraction of the security guard. They were pretending to be Jimmy’s cousin and saying that he was dying and his wish was to give a stand-up bit to a blue collared worker (it was total bullshit, but by the looks of the guy they saw leaving the office yesterday, he’d believe it). Last was Kyle and Craig, who came in holding hands to just look like a normal couple visiting the aquarium. They wandered around for a bit, meeting up with Stan and Wendy after a good fifteen minutes. The four continued to walk around until their Craig’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He tugged it out, smirking as he saw Token’s text.

            _The eagle is distracted_.

Craig gave a nod to the three of them, all of them making their way to Tweek’s tank. Clyde and Kenny were standing outside the room wearing fake security guard outfits, nodding to the four of them as they walked past. They had kept anyone from entering the room, saying they were doing a routine cleaning of the tank and it would be open later. As they wandered in, Tweek was swimming around aimlessly in his tank, his eyes lighting up as he saw them. He quickly swam to the surface of the tank, tugging himself up onto the walkway. Pluto wasn’t far behind him, using Tweek’s tail that hung into the water to crawl up onto the walkway. Craig knelt down next to him, grinning slowly.

            “Ready?” He whispered, Tweek nodding his head furiously.

            “Absolutely.” He breathed out, Wendy tugging a bunch of supplies out from under her jacket. Stan tugged a long brown wig out from his jacket, handing it to Craig. Kyle was waiting for them at the bottom of the steps with a wheelchair, which they would use to push Tweek out of the aquarium. Craig placed the wig on Tweek’s head, pushing back any blonde curls that poked through. He ran his fingers through the wig as Wendy started to quickly apply makeup to him, only putting on a little blush, eyeshadow, and lipstick. She finished brushing out his eyebrows and tugged a long maxi dress out from her pocket, Tweek lifting his arms up as it was tugged over his head. Before they pulled it all the way down, Pluto stuck to his stomach, his head being used to make a fake baby bump. The dress obviously didn’t cover all of Tweek’s tail, but they had blankets waiting at the bottom of the steps with Kyle. Craig blushed a bit as he looked at Tweek. He was _adorable_ , and the bright red lipstick did wonders for his green eyes and pale skin. He scooped him up, walking towards the stairs. Before Wendy followed, she took a jar out from her other pocket, taking a jar full of salt water for the ride home. As they made their way down the steps, Kyle tugged the blankets off the wheelchair as Craig placed him in it, Tweek tucking his fins up into the skirt of the dress a bit. It didn’t hurt his fins, it just felt a little uncomfortable. They draped the blankets over his lap, tucking them around the end of the dress so they didn’t run the risk of his fins flopping out. Stan tugged a white floppy hat out of his jacket as well, placing it on Tweek’s head and angling the brim down so his eyes were covered a bit. Wendy gave Tweek’s hand a squeeze as she chuckled.

            “I’m…convinced. And Pluto makes a good bump.” Stan snorted, glancing at Kyle.

            “You guys ready?” They all looked at each other, Craig nodding.

            “Call them.” They started making their way towards the exit, Tweek taking a few shaking breaths as he rubbed Pluto’s head to calm him and to make it look like he was rubbing his very “pregnant” belly. The black of the dress hid any wet marks that Tweek may have forgotten to dry off with his powers during the process. As they approached the door, Stan held the phone to his ear.

            “Meet us at the car, ASAP.” He murmured, hanging up as he finished the brief call to Token. Kenny opened the door for them as they walked out, both him and Clyde taking the security jackets off and holding onto it as they joined the four of them as they walked towards the door. Craig glanced down at Tweek as he pushed him, noticing his shoulders shaking. He rubbed his thumb over his exposed shoulder gently, feeling the muscles relax under his hand as they continued towards the door. They saw Eric, Jimmy, and Token waiting at the car through the glass, but they were soon cut off by Luis, who talked to someone right in front of the door. Wendy grabbed the pair of sunglasses out of her pocket and tugging them on before he could notice it was her. Craig kept his composure as he took his hearing aids off and stuffed them in his pocket, swallowing as the man turned to look at them as they got closer.

            “Have I… _seen_ you before, kid?” He practically purred, making Craig want to vomit. Why did he have to be such a pompous asshole?

            “Don’t think so.”

            “Really? Because your… _hair_ …seems familiar.” Craig snorted as he processed what he said.

            “There’s plenty of red heads in the world. Hell, there’s one next to me.” Kyle gave a shy wave, Craig keeping one hand on Tweek’s back to calm him. Luis narrowed his eyes.

            “Mmm. I see…and is this young lady here your…?” Craig nodded, not really knowing what he said, but he assumed it was about Tweek from the way his eyes slowly dropped to the mermaid in the wheelchair.

            “My girlfriend.”

            “Aren’t you a little _young_ to be a dad?” Craig narrowed his eyes after he finished reading his lips.

            “None of your business.”

            “Why does she need a wheelchair?”

            “Again…none of your business. But, if you _must_ know, she’s due any day and it’s hard for her to walk around.” Luis hummed, taking a small step forward. Tweek needed to act fast, moving his eyes down to the water dripping on the ground. _Wait_. He quickly concentrated on the water still clinging to his tail, forming a small ball of water by the seat of the wheelchair and letting out a yell as he dropped it. Wendy jumped, but knew what he was going for.

            “Oh! Her water broke! We have to go!” Luis blinked, watching the water run down the floor.

            “Nice meeting you!” Clyde called out as they rushed past, Luis blinking as he watched them go. He furrowed his brows, but shook his head as he called for a janitor on his radio. They ran to Craig and Token’s cars, everyone getting into their respective cars as Kyle offered to drive Craig’s car so Craig could sit with Tweek in the back with Wendy. Wendy got in on one side, helping Craig guide Tweek in by tugging him in by his tail gently. Craig shoved the wheelchair aside, climbing in and letting Tweek sit in his lap. It was way too cramped in the back of the car with Tweek’s tail taking up most of the space, but as they pulled out of the aquarium parking lot, both boys looked out the back window with grins on their faces as they watched the building grow smaller and smaller. Once it was out of sight, Tweek let out a sob, but he was grinning as he did. Burying his face into Craig’s neck, he finally let himself sob tears of joy. They had done it. They freed him. Tweek was _finally free_.

* * *

 

The car ride was full of excitement as Stan and Kyle asked Tweek questions, both Craig and Wendy periodically rubbing saltwater onto Tweek’s tail and onto Pluto (who sat excitedly in Tweek’s lap). Kenny called Stan at one point, explaining to them that they were going to go to the diner to celebrate the successful heist (if you could call it that). Craig, however, just wanted to get Tweek safely home. It was already late when they pulled up, almost midnight, so he knew he’d have no trouble taking him inside. Kyle pulled up at Craig’s house, everyone getting out to help with the process of getting Tweek out. It wasn’t too difficult, but once Craig had him in his arms, Wendy walked up to the door with them to unlock the door for Craig. Once the door was opened, Craig turned to look at his friends, smiling wide.

            “Thank you…for everything.” He murmured, blushing a bit. Tweek nodded in agreement, his arms securely wrapped around Craig’s neck.

            “Yes…thank you all _so much_.” He giggled, all three of them grinning.

            “It’s no problem.” Stan said, Craig blinking.

            “I…I _heard_ you!” They all blinked, looking at Tweek. He blushed, looking down.

            “I, um…I guess I’m so happy my powers are just…going crazy.” He admitted, Craig letting out a soft laugh.

            “It’s our pleasure, guys.” Kyle said, his voice making Craig’s heart flutter. It’s been so long since he heard his friend’s voices. When they met, his hearing hadn’t fully gone, so he had some idea as to what they sounded like in his head, but _man_ , hearing them now? Game changing. They bid them a goodnight, the three walking towards town to meet everyone at the diner. AS Craig kicked the door shut and quickly locked it, he quietly made his way up the steps, thanking whoever used the bathroom last kept the door open. Once inside, he set Tweek on the toilet seat lid, shutting the door behind him. Flicking the light on, Tweek blinked, glancing around the room. He froze as he saw the mirror.

            “Is that…a mirror?” He asked, eyes full of wonder.

            “Yeah.”

            “Can I…?” Tweek leaned forward a bit, Craig catching him as he lost his balance. He chuckled, scooping him up again so he could see his reflection. He still had the makeup and disguise on, but Tweek hadn’t seen his reflection in a long time. He was chubbier than the last time he saw himself (which was five years ago, and thank _God_ he finally put some meat on his bones) and had more freckles as well. His hair was starting to poke out from under the wig and it was definitely longer since he last saw it, too. Setting the hat aside, Tweek pulled the wig off, gasping as he saw his hair. Yeah, definitely longer. He poked at his cheeks, noticing the roundness of them. It was cute. He giggled a bit, poking at his red lips and tilting his head from side to side as he looked at every angle he could of his face. Craig watched with adoring eyes, chuckling softly. He set him on the ledge of the sink counter, turning his attention to the bathtub. He started filling it with water, keeping it lukewarm since he wasn’t sure how hot or cold Tweek needed the water the be. He rummaged through the cabinet under the sink, finding the salt they kept there for when they needed to gargle saltwater. He started sprinkling a hefty amount into the water, using his hand to mix it in. After about five minutes, the tub was ready. He glanced over at Tweek, who was tugging at the skin on his stomach and face. Craig chuckled walking over and digging through the cabinet again to find baby oil and a makeup removing pad. He put a little oil on the pad.

            “C’mere.” He murmured, tilting Tweek’s head to face him. He started gently wiping his face off, grinning slowly as that familiar shade of pink that is Tweek’s lips appeared and the slight purple of his eyelids appeared. Once his face was all clean, Craig couldn’t help but drop his face into Tweek’s shoulder as he wrapped his arms around his waist. Running his finger-tips up and down his back, Craig couldn’t help but place gentle kisses to the pale skin under his lips. Tweek let out a soft sigh of content, giggling a bit as Pluto climbed into the tub of water.

            “He’s making himself at home.” Tweek murmured, tilting his head back a bit as Craig kissed up his neck.

            “Good,” Craig leaned their foreheads together. “As should you.” He pressed their lips together, both boys sighing softly as this felt… _right_. It felt right to be here. It felt right to be kissing each other. It felt _good_. They kissed lightly for a good five minutes, reveling in the fact that this was _actually happening_. Craig pulled away slowly from the kiss, needing to break himself away before he became drunk off of Tweek’s kisses.

            “Will I ever get to see your room?” Tweek whispered, Craig letting out a soft chuckle.

            “Tomorrow. Sound good?” Tweek nodded, Craig lifting him gently and placing him in the tub of saltwater. Pluto instinctively climbed onto Tweek’s stomach, curling up there to sleep. Craig stared at Tweek for a moment, pressing a gentle kiss to his forehead before standing back up. “Goodnight, Tweek.” He whispered, Tweek humming in content as Craig tucked a rolled-up towel under his head as a make-shift pillow.

            “Goodnight, Craig.” He whispered back, Craig tugging the shower curtain closed. Tweek heard the door click shut as he left, but he wasn’t sad. Tweek was everything _but_ sad. He was happy. He was relieved. He was tired. He was calm. He was… _in love_. He grinned slowly as he thought about the boy down the hall from him, his eyes fluttering shut as his mind danced with images of him. Meanwhile, down the hall, Craig had similar images swimming through his mind of the boy in his tub, a grin on both of their faces as they drifted off into their first restful night of sleep in weeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for any mistakes, I am very tired and didn't finish re-reading all of this chapter whoops! BUT THEY DID IT!!! Next chapter will be interesting ;) Because you can only hide a mermaid in your bathtub for soooo long. I hope you enjoyed the break out (ya'll have no idea how long I've had this planned. It's so simple, yet, obviously, effective) and, as always, any and all feedback is appreciated! If you haven't followed me on tumblr yet, go ahead and do so! crowded-skies.tumblr.com


	8. Chapter 8

It wasn’t what Laura Tucker was expecting to see when she got up for her morning shower around nine am. The boy, with a tail _mind you_ , sleeping in her bathtub was cute, but he still _shouldn’t be there_. She thought she was still dreaming, but then she let her eyes wander, settling on the octopus that was sleeping on his stomach. She closed her eyes, slowly drawing the curtain closed as she took a deep breath. Turning on her heel, she walked down the hall in her robe to her son’s room, hearing movement behind the door. She opened it slowly, her eyes half lidded as she made eye contact with her son.

            “ _Craig Thomas you have some explaining to do_.” She signed, Craig blinking as he blushed. He furrowed his brows.

            “ _What do you mean by that, mother?”_

_“Why is there a fucking mermaid in the bath tub?”_

_“…that’s a loaded question.”_ Laura ran her hands down her face, dropping them to her hips as she tried to relax. It isn’t the first strange thing her son has brought home, but this has got to be the strangest. She pinched the bridge of her nose, squeezing her eyes shut. It’s too fucking early to deal with this bullshit on a Sunday morning. She opened her mouth to say something, but snapped her jaw back shut.

            “ _Downstairs. Now_.” She signed, marching down the steps. She heard Craig shuffling upstairs, making his way down a few minutes later. He slid into the seat his mother pointed him to sit in at the counter, tufts of red hair poking out from under his chullo.

            “Laura, what’s-”

            “Thomas, have you used the bathroom this morning?”

            “Yeah, I pissed when I woke up, why?”

            “Did you… _notice_ anything… _odd_ in the bathroom?” Her words were drawn out, Craig noticing the way she enunciated her words. Laura Tucker was the scariest kind of angry: she was calm.

            “No…why-”

            “Thomas…there is a _fucking mermaid and octopus_ in our bathtub!” Thomas blinked.

            “What the fuck do you _mean_ there’s a _mermaid_?”

            “I mean exactly what I said, Thomas,” She turned to Craig, thinking a moment before she signed. “ _Craig, where did you **find** him?” _ Craig blushed, biting his lip.

            “ _He was stuck in the aquarium. I had to save him.”_ Laura blinked, shaking her head.

            “I can’t believe this is fucking happening,” She murmured to herself, running her hand down her face again. “ _So…you **stole** this mermaid from the aquarium?” _

_“I had to! The asshole owner was mistreating him! He doesn’t belong there!”_ Laura glanced at her husband, who was surprisingly silent during the frantic signing between the two as he sipped his morning coffee. Tricia walked slowly down the steps, stretching her stiff limbs as she walked. Laura turned to her.

            “Did you know about his plan?” Tricia blinked, holding her hands up in defense.

            “Whoa, mom, I just woke up. What _plan_?”

            “Craig took you to the aquarium a few weeks ago. Did he mention _jail breaking the mermaid?”_ Tricia turned to stare at Craig, who had his cheeks puffed out as he tried to look as innocent as possible. Tricia snorted.

            “He didn’t.”

            “Tric, there’s a mermaid in our god damn bathtub and an octopus as well. Why would I lie?” Tricia shrugged after a moment.

            “Good point,” She sat next to Craig at the counter, Craig glancing over at her. “ _You broke him out?”_

_“He got moved to Denver to be a performer. I had to.”_

_“It’s because you like him.”_ Craig froze, his parents staring at him with raised eyebrows. Craig ducked his head into his hands, groaning as he tried to stop the giddy feeling in his stomach as he thought of the boy upstairs. Thomas smirked a bit around his morning coffee.

            “Laura, I honestly don’t see the issue. It sounds like Craig stopped some form of…cruelty…animal cruelty? I don’t even know, but he must’ve helped this boy for a reason.” Tricia put a hand by her mouth so Craig couldn’t read her lips.

            “He _really likes_ the mermaid, that’s why.” She whispered, Laura’s lips twitching up a bit as she glanced over at her extremely flustered son. She hummed, the anger slowly melting away from her face as she reached out and gave Craig’s hand a gentle squeeze. He looked up, his face bright red. She chuckled.

            “ _Can we at least meet him, Craig?”_ Craig swallowed hard, nodding slowly.

            “Hold on,” He murmured, rushing up the steps. He could hear Tweek the closer he got to him, smiling as he was singing softly to Pluto. He knocked lightly on the door. “Tweek?” He whispered, hearing the boy shift in the water.

            “Craig?” He pushed the door open, grinning slowly as he saw Tweek. He had tugged the curtain open, and he looked relaxed for the first time since they met.

            “Hey, you.” He murmured, closing the door behind him. He walked over, kneeling next to the tub and stroking his hair lightly. Tweek smiled, nuzzling into the touch.

            “Morning.” He whispered, his eyes fluttering shut. Pluto crawled up next to Craig’s other hand, Craig chuckling as he rubbed his head.

            “And good morning to you, too, Pluto.” He murmured, chuckling.

            “You sleep well?” Tweek asked, opening his eyes back up. Craig nodded, but then bit his lip.

            “My, uh…mom found you.” Tweek’s eyes widened slowly, his chest moving rapidly.

            “I- _fuck_ -we-we’re already caught?!”

            “Hey-Hey, Tweek, it’s cool! They, um, want to…meet you?” Tweek blinked.

            “Who…who’s _they_?”

            “My mom, dad, and sister.” Tweek blushed, but after a moment of consideration, he nodded slowly. _You’re in their house, Tweek._ He thought, biting his lip as Craig stood and walked back downstairs. He heard their footsteps climbing the steps, Tweek glancing down at Pluto.

            “Behave, Pluto.” He pointed a stern finger at him, the octopus crossing two of its arms in defense. The door cracked open slowly, Craig appearing first. A shorter blonde woman appeared behind him, her face angular but kind. Her hair stopped at her shoulders and she had a headband pushing her hair out of her face. Her skin was lighter than Craig’s, but her green eyes were kind and her lips showed a nice smile. Behind her was a very tall, somewhat broad man. His hair looked a lot like Craig’s dyed hair, making Tweek wonder where Craig’s dark hair came from. His skin was a little dark, like Craig’s, and his blue eyes were obviously where Craig got his. It was clear Craig took after his father in body type, their broad shoulders, long legs, and angled jaws very similar. Taking up the lead was Craig’s sister, who he remembers from that day in the aquarium. She had red hair like her father, but her mother’s green eyes. Her skin was a nice mix of her parents and she had beautiful freckles across the bridge of her nose. She grinned at Tweek, waving a bit. He waved back, blushing slightly.

            “Um…guys this is, uh, Tweek,” Craig jumped as Pluto flicked some water at him. “Oh…and Pluto.” Craig said, smiling a bit at his parents as he sat on the ledge of the sink. Laura hummed a bit, Tweek suddenly feeling self-conscious as she looked him up and down.

            “Sorry my son wrapped you up in his shenanigans. Him and his friends tend to get into some weird shit.” Tweek glanced at Craig, who stared off into the distance with wide eyes. Tweek didn’t notice his lip quiver a bit as he turned back to his mom.

            “It’s no problem honestly…they saved me from that god-awful place.”

            “Where are you…from originally?” Thomas asked, sipping his coffee. Tweek grinned as he recognized the smell.

            “The Pacific Ocean…can…I have a sip of your coffee? I’ve never had it in liquid form.” Thomas blinked, but chuckled.

            “It’s black, kid, but knock yourself out.” He passed the mug over to Tweek, who took two big gulps from the mug before passing it back over to Thomas.

            “T-Thanks! I’ve only ever had coffee beans!” Tricia blinked.

            “You just… _chew_ coffee beans?” She giggled, Tweek blushing.

            “Well, it’s hard to drink liquids when you’re under water. They sort of… _blend_ together.” Craig let out a happy sob, his family turning to stare at him.

            “ _Craig, honey_ -”

            “No…don’t…s-sign…I can hear you.” He choked out, Thomas’s eyes widening.

            “What do-”

            “I-It’s because I’m around,” Tweek said, smiling softly at Craig. “I give off… _magic_ , if you will. I guess it affects Craig in the sense that when he’s around me, he can hear. I can never _heal_ his deafness, but I can temporarily give him hearing while he’s around me.” Laura had tears in her eyes as she cupped her son’s grinning face in her hands, letting out her own sob as she grinned slowly.

            “Craig…m-my baby boy, can you-”

            “Yeah…I can hear you.”

* * *

 

The Tuckers decided that Tweek obviously couldn’t stay in the bathtub since one: it was way too small and two: they needed to shower. Thomas and Craig rummaged through the garage until they found an old inflatable swimming pool from when Craig and Tricia were little, taking it up to Craig’s room and clearing out a space for it at the foot of his bed. It was a tight squeeze, but it fit. They filled it with salt water before Craig carried Tweek down the hall, placing him in the pool as Tweek looked around the room with curious eyes. The pool was much more spacious than the tub, Pluto hopping off of Tweek’s stomach and moving his arms around as he explored the little area.

            “What are those?” Tweek pointed up to the glow stars on Craig’s ceiling, Craig pulling his bean bag chair up next to pool. He plopped down into it after changing his shirt (it had gotten wet from Tweek’s chest) into his favorite _Rush_ crop top again.

            “Those are glow stars. After light hits them for a long period of time, they active some chemical or some shit in the stars and once you turn the lights off and it gets dark, they glow.” Tweek stared at them with wide eyes, turning to face Craig. His brows furrowed.

            “Why is half of your shirt missing?” Craig snorted, looking down at the crop top.

            “It’s called a crop top. Guys don’t usually wear them, but I don’t fucking care. Tricia made it for me as a joke, but I love it. It’s my favorite band.” Tweek ran his fingers over the lettering.

            “Rush?”

            “Yeah! Want to hear them?” Tweek grinned, nodding. Craig stood, walking over to a record player he had sitting on the desk in his room. Tweek blinked.

            “What is that thing?” Craig grinned at how curious he was.

            “This,” He held up a _Rush_ record. “Is called a record. Sometimes a vinyl, but I call them records,” He tugged it out of the protective sleeve, showing Tweek the grooves. “The grooves on them have the music in it. I’m not sure out it works really, but it’s cool. The needle on the record player here,” He lifted up the top of it, putting the record on. “When it comes into contact with the grooves, it emits the music like,” Craig carefully set the needle on, the opening notes of _A Farewell to Kings_ filling the room. Craig froze, not having actually _heard_ music in so long despite having the ability to with the conch. He never thought to actually use the conch, thinking of it more as a way to communicate with Tweek. “That…” Tweek smiled softly at Craig’s face, the look of bewilderment adoring to him. Tweek leaned his head back on the soft edge of the inflatable pool, using his powers to control a stream of water. The tip of the water tapped Craig’s nose, causing him to jump and look down at Tweek. The blonde giggled, letting the water drop back into the pool. Craig sat back down next to him after grabbing his zippo lighter and his pack of American Spirits, plopping down with a _thud_ and running his hands through his hair, the lighter and cigarettes in his lap.

            “You okay?” Tweek asked, running his finger nail up and down his thigh. Craig cleared his throat, nodding as he tugged a cigarette out.

            “Y-Yeah just…it’s been so long since I… _heard_ music.” He breathed out, placing the cigarette between his teeth. Tweek blinked, watching him fumble to flick his zippo.

            “What are you doing?” He asked, tilting his head. Craig glanced at him, smirking a bit at how Tweek almost resembled a dog with his head tilt.

            “They’re called cigarettes. They’re not _good_ for you, but they help me relax the same way coffee helps you relax. I started smoking them when I was fourteen. I fell into a depression and just…needed to _feel_ something…so I started smoking because it made my chest hurt.” His zippo finally roared to life, Tweek gasping as he watched the flame and the way the cigarette glowed as Craig inhaled. His nose scrunched up as Craig exhaled, covering his nose and mouth with his hand.

            “They stink!” He whined, Craig chuckling.

            “Sorry, I know. My whole room smells like them apparently, but I can’t tell anymore.” He chuckled as he inhaled again, tapping some ash into the nearby ashtray as he exhaled. Tweek laid on his stomach, arms dangling over the edge of the pool as he laid his head on the edge of it. He hummed, looking around Craig’s room as _Rush_ filled the room with intense sound. His eyes stopped on a group picture on Craig’s night table.

            “Are those all the people that helped me?” He murmured, Craig smiling a bit. He stood up and grabbing the frame and sitting back down.

            “Yeah. Point to someone and I’ll tell you about them.” Tweek grinned slowly, humming as he looked at the image. He pointed to a tall boy in a blue hat.

            “Who’s that?”

            “Stan Marsh. I used to _hate_ him. We had this unsaid rivalry and we always used to get into fights and have detention together. But…as we grew older and more mature…it just…faded out.” Tweek nodded, eyes roaming over the image. He pointed to a boy in a purple shirt.

            “Him?”

            “Token. He’s one of the most intelligent people I know. Dude is _fast_ , too. I run track and he’s on a relay team with me. Stan is too, and the other guy is-” Craig froze a minute, trying to decide if he was ready to tell Tweek about Kyle. He swallowed hard, Tweek looking up at him.

            “Is…who?” He asked innocently, looking up at Craig with those green eyes. _God_ what was with Craig and cute boys with green eyes? He slowly pointed to Kyle, who had his arms wrapped tightly around Craig in the image.

            “Kyle…my…ex-boyfriend.” Tweek blinked, looking up from the image to look at Craig.

            “How long were you two together?” Craig stared at the image a little longer before looking at Tweek.

            “Eight months.”

            “Why didn’t it work out?”

            “I just…lost my feelings for him…I still care for him _a lot_ and I’d do anything for him. He’s one of my best friends still.” Tweek nodded slowly, looking down.

            “Did you… _you know_ …” Tweek looked up slowly, meeting Craig’s gaze. Craig nodded slowly.

            “Yes…we…had sex.” Tweek nodded slowly as well. He wasn’t upset, per say, just…processing everything. He wasn’t even sure how two human men would have sex, but…he’s sure he’d find out sooner or later. He had so much to learn.

            “Will you…ever lose feelings for me?” He whispered finally, Craig blinking at the sudden question.

            “I…I don’t…know…part of me wants to hope not.” Tweek blinked, blushing a dark red as he smiled into the plastic material of the pool. He nodded, closing his eyes as the song turned to a bit of a slower song. Craig closed his eyes as well, a small smile forming on his face as he put his cigarette between his lips, keeping it there as the lyrics consumed him.

            _And the men who hold high places_

_Must be the ones who start_

_To mold a new reality_

_Closer to the heart_

_Closer to the heart_

As the song progressed on and an instrument break started, Tweek opened his eyes, a grin on his face as he watched Craig get lost in the music. He was pretending to strum a guitar, Tweek giggling softly as he watched Craig stand up, playing air guitar with a cigarette dangling from his mouth. Tweek let out a laugh as Craig fell to his knees as the guitar break finished, Craig grinning at him. He crawled across the floor, putting his cigarette out in the ashtray and crawling over to press a quick kiss to Tweek’s lips. Tweek scrunched his nose up.

            “Your lips taste like how that smoke smells.” He murmured, Craig snorting.

            “Sorry.” He chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. Tweek smiled, running his fingers through Craig’s hair. He loved the way he immediately relaxed at the touch.

            “Will you dye your hair back to black at all?”

            “Soon. I kind of enjoy how different I look.” Tweek thought a moment.

            “I like you with dark hair. You look so mysterious.” Craig let out a soft laugh, that sound making Tweek’s heart jump to his throat. It was music to his ears.

            “I’ll buy some hair dye before the end of the week.” He said, standing suddenly. Tweek blinked as Craig stripped down to his boxers, climbing into the water next to Tweek. Pluto sat on Tweek’s tail to give him some room, both boys laying on their side to face each other as their heads rested on the edge of the pool. They just took the time to stare at each other, getting familiar with each other.

            “When’s your birthday, Craig?” Tweek asked.

            “October 31st. Halloween.”

            “What’s Halloween?”

            “A holiday where kids dress up and go door to door and get candy.”

            “That sounds weird.”

            “It is. But I loved it growing up. It was my birthday, I got to play dress up, and I got candy and cake in the same day.” Tweek giggled, thinking of a young Craig Tucker running around high on sugar.

            “How old are you?”

            “Eighteen. I’m old for my grade. I’ll be nineteen when I graduate high school.” Tweek nodded slowly.

            “What do you wanna do when you grow up? There’s…college…right? That’s what it’s called?”

            “Yeah, college…and I don’t know…I’ve always been fascinated by space and water. I love science. I might go for marine biology.” Tweek’s tail flipped excitedly, Craig chuckling softly at the notion.

            “Really?!” He squealed, wrapping his arms around Craig. Craig let out a soft laugh, kissing his forehead.

            “Yeah. I’ve always had a love for the water. Why not work on it?” He explained, Tweek nodding. “What about you. You’re eighteen now, right?”

            “Yup!”

            “What are your parents like?” Tweek hummed thoughtfully, a sad smile on his face.

            “My mom…she’s a delicate woman. So kind, caring. Her name is Mary. Pale skin, brown eyes. She has the most beautiful teal tail that matches the scales over her breasts…short brown hair that stops at her chin and her lips are always red. Lipstick she called it…is that what I wore yesterday?” Craig nodded. “She always would swim near the shore in hopes some women would drop their lipstick when rummaging through their bags. It happened on occasion.” Craig chuckled at the image of Tweek’s mom, but the mental image of her based on her description was…well, beautiful.

            “What about your dad?” Tweek’s smile faultered a bit.

            “I adore my father. His name’s Richard. He’s so hard working. Short curly hair, dirty blondish. He’s strong. Broad shoulders, like your dad. He has an elegant maroon tail that’s about six feet long. Strong face, but kind. He has a fascination with coffee like me. He used to take me along the shoreline to watch a coffee shop that was on the water. He knew so much about the process of how to brew coffee, yet he’s never stepped foot on land.” Craig nodded slowly, smiling softly at the thought of Tweek and his dad along the shore. Young, innocent Tweek. He snapped out of his thoughts as he heard Tweek sniffle, looking down at him.

            “You…miss them?” Tweek nodded slowly, burying his face into Craig’s neck as he let out a shaky sigh.

            “They worry so much about me…I just…hope they’re okay…” Craig wrapped his arms tightly around Tweek, the room falling silent as the record side ran out. He buried his face into Tweek’s blonde curls, the smell of salt water filling his nostrils.

            “We’ll get you home…don’t worry, Tweek.” Tweek looked up at him, eyes a little red and cheeks wet from tears.

            “But…I’d… _lose you_.” Craig smiled sadly, brushing his thumb lightly over Tweek’s cheek.

            “I’d visit you. Don’t worry, I’m not letting you go that easily.” Tweek smiled a bit, dropping his face back down to Craig’s shoulder. His mind raced with random thoughts about his family and friends and things his parents used to tell him when he was younger. He tried not to gasp when he remembered something his dad told him long ago, contemplating the thought as his eyes closed. His dad’s voice rang in his head.

            “ _Now remember, son: if you fall in love with a human by chance, that’s totally okay! Just know you can let your tail dry up. You will have a nice pair of legs afterwards, but you can’t get your tail back until you share a special connection with that person,”_ Tweek’s heart fluttered as he remembered the last bit. “ _To get your tail back, you must consummate your love in the waters in which you met.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow juiciness! Hope you enjoyed this wholesome Craig Tucker content! Also, if you haven't figured it out by now, Rush is my favorite band. Please listen to Rush if you've never listened to them. They're a good fucking band. Anyways! Thanks for reading and, as always, any and all feedback is appreciated!   
> Songs:   
> A Farewell to Kings-Rush: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpsyrfoX8zw  
> Closer to the Heart-Rush: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quBCjo2rUZg


	9. Chapter 9

It had been about a week since Tweek had been busted out of the aquarium, and he was learning so much. Craig dyed his hair back to black Wednesday evening, Tweek fascinated with the process as Laura helped him apply the dye to his hair. Whenever Craig came home from school, Tweek would ask him about the things he learned during his day. It was a lot of boring things: history, economics, he had old books to read, but Craig really liked science, so that’s what he talked about the most. Tweek didn’t mind. Craig made science sound really interesting, going on about different elements and space and the experiments they did in class that day. After dinner (the Tucker’s have been eating in Craig’s room so Tweek wasn’t alone during that family time), Craig would teach Tweek about more interesting things. Right now, Craig was teaching him about music some more (Tweek was really interested in music).

            “Pearl Jam is a cool band. My dad listened to them a lot when I was growing up, and when I still had some hearing left, I remember feeling tough as shit listening to their music. But interestingly enough, Eddie Vedder, the lead singer, wrote the first three songs and they were a part of a mini-opera series.” Tweek blinked, listening to the music as Craig spoke.

            “This guy wrote opera music?” Craig snorted.

            “I think it was just the one instance. Who knows. Their songs are fun to play on an instrument, but I prefer playing Rush songs still.” Tweek smiled a bit.

            “You played an instrument?” Craig blushed, realizing what he said.

            “Well…yeah, used to. I stopped after I went completely deaf around three years ago.” Tweek frowned.

            “What instrument did you play?” Craig stood, tossing his closet door open and rummaging around. Tweek leaned over the edge of the pool a bit, watching him. Pluto crawled on top of his head, seeming to watch Craig as well. He emerged with what Tweek thought was a guitar, but it had four strings on it. It was blue and had drawings of planets and stars on them. Craig sat back down in his beanbag chair, his face bright red.

            “Bass guitar.” Tweek blinked, reaching out and running his fingers over the strings. They were thicker than a guitar. He’s never touched a guitar, but every now and then he’d hear someone play it along the shoreline. It didn’t look as heavy as Craig’s bass guitar did.

            “Why did you pick this one to play?”

            “Because I could feel the vibrations of it in the floor,” Tweek looked at him, eyes slightly wide. “When I was eight and my hearing was really starting to go, the doctors recommended to my parents I play an instrument to try and keep what little hearing I had left up to par. It helped for a while when I first started playing. I mainly relied on the vibrations though. I was told I was good at playing. I chose it too because I had just gotten super into Rush at that time and I wanted to be like Geddy Lee.” Tweek smiled a bit, his face a light pink as he opened his mouth to speak.

            “Will you play for me?” He asked, smiling sheepishly. Craig chuckled a bit, biting on his lip as he smiled a bit. After a moment of consideration, Craig sighed.

            “What the hell.” He murmured, setting the bass on the bean bag chair as he rummaged through his closet to find his amp. He plugged it in after he found it, Tweek glancing up at Pluto and then back to Craig with curious eyes. Craig plugged a cord into the amp, Tweek blinking as he was able to plug it into the bass guitar. He listened with a small smile as Craig plucked the thick strings a few times, enjoying the way Craig lit up as he started twisting the knobs at the top of the bass.

            “What do they do?” Tweek asked, leaning his head onto the edge of the pool.

            “They tune the bass. Sometimes the strings will get too loose and you it won’t make the right sound,” Craig explained, Tweek nodding as Craig started playing a few chords to test out the sounds. When he was satisfied, he stood, grabbing his speaker and hooking his phone up to it. He scrolled through his phone until he found the song he wanted, pressing play. “I’m only playing the song so you can hear the rest of it. This is my favorite Rush song and I’m sorry I haven’t played it for you yet.” Tweek giggled a bit, settling in as the heavy synth of _Subdivisions_ filled the room. Tweek glanced over at Craig, his head leaned back into the bean bag chair as his eyes shut. He watched in awe as his fingers danced across the fingerboard, thumb and index finger plucking at the strings. What Tweek wasn’t expecting, was for Craig to sing. It was the most incredible sound Tweek had ever heard, his heart about exploding out of his chest. Tweek smiled into his arm, glancing to his right as he saw the door open a crack, Laura’s face appearing. Her eyes were wide as she stared at her son, Craig obviously not noticing the door opening. Tweek noticed Laura’s eyes, tear filled and joyous as she listened to her son sing and play bass. She hasn’t heard his singing voice since he was ten, having no interest in singing after he got his hearing aids. So her surprise is understandable as she heard his voice coming up the stairs from work. As Craig finished playing the last bit of the song, Tweek grinned as Craig looked at him, Craig’s face a light red. He casted his gaze quickly to Laura, then returning it to Craig’s. The dark haired boy blinked, turning to meet the tearful eyes of his mom.

            “What brought this on?” She asked, shutting the door behind her as she sat on the edge of his bed. Craig blushed a dark red, letting out a sheepish laugh.

            “I was, uh, telling Tweek about how I used to play bass and he asked me to play so…” Laura grinned slowly, sniffling as she wiped her eyes.

            “I-It’s been too long since I heard that beautiful voice of yours, Craig.” Craig looked down, biting his lip to stop from grinning.

            “It felt…good to sing again…and play.” Craig knew that this wouldn’t last forever, his being to hear. He had been trying to figure out before bed at night how to get Tweek back home. As much as he didn’t want to watch him swim out of his life for who knows how long, Craig knew he couldn’t live in this pool forever. It wasn’t fair to Tweek. He had a family and friends worried sick about him in the Pacific Ocean and Craig wasn’t going to stop Tweek from going home. Hell, Craig would want to go home, too, after everything Tweek has been through.

            “It feels even better hearing it, sweetheart,” Laura stood, kissing his forehead before kissing Tweek’s. She chuckled as Pluto held out a tentacle, Laura giving it a light squeeze before standing back up. “Are you boys getting hungry?” They both nodded, Craig standing.

            “Tweek, do you want any coffee?” He asked, the blonde smiling slowly.

            “I’d love some. Can I have it with-”

            “One scoop of sugar and a splash of cream?” Tweek blushed, grinning as he nodded. Craig smiled, kissing his cheek before making his way downstairs with his mom. Despite the boys being around each other all the time, they weren’t very… _affectionate_. It’s not that Craig didn’t want to be, he just wasn’t sure what Tweek and him _were_. Were they dating? Or were they taking things slow? Craig tucked the thought into the back of his mind, realizing that he should talk to Tweek about it. But for now, he came downstairs for a reason. “Mom?” Laura looked up as Craig rummaged through the cabinets for a mug for Tweek’s coffee, sticking it under the Keurig and stopping for a moment. “How should we get him home?” Laura smiled sadly, walking over to rub her son’s back. As she suspected, his muscles were tense, but they slowly loosened as she rubbed his back. She kissed his shoulder, looking up at him.

            “We’ll probably have to drive. It isn’t ideal, but we’d take your father’s truck and keep him in the pool in the bed of the truck. I’d say flying, but we’d literally have to ship Tweek, and that isn’t fair to him.” Craig nodded slowly, scooping a spoonful of sugar into the coffee and grabbing the cream, pouring a small amount in as he mixed everything in. He stayed quiet for a moment, letting the spoon clatter into the sink as he sighed.

            “I just…don’t…want to say goodbye.” Laura nodded, wrapping an arm around him and giving his side a squeeze.

            “You’ll see him again. We can start going back out to California to see Uncle Jack. I’m sure he’d be thrilled to see us all.” Craig chuckled a bit, kissing the top of his mom’s head as he turned, coffee mug in hand.

            “Thanks mom. That helped me relax a bit.” He admitted, smirking.

            “It’s what I’m here for.” Craig made his way back upstairs, opening the door to find Tweek staring at the ceiling, looking deep in thought.

            “You alright?” He chuckled, Tweek glancing over at him. His hand ran over Pluto’s head, his other hand accepting the cup of coffee handed to him as he sat up.

            “Yeah…just…thinking,” Tweek sipped at the scalding coffee, the heat refreshing his sore limbs. He enjoyed being in Craig’s room, but after doing nothing but lay in a pool for a week, his body was understandably achy. He chuckled as he saw Craig turn a dark red. “What’s wrong? You look like a red snapper.” Craig chuckled, opening his mouth and then closing it. Finally, he looked at Tweek.

            “Can I…touch your tail?” Tweek blinked, not expecting the question from Craig.

            “Oh…yeah! Yeah of course, just…be gentle, yeah? It’s sensitive.” Craig nodded, reaching a caring hand out and running his fingertips lightly down his tail. He glanced up at Tweek, whose eyes fluttered shut and seemed to have a look of… _pleasure_ on his face. Craig blushed a bit more, placing the weight of his hand on the tail. Tweek’s fins flicked a bit, the blonde letting out a shaky breath as he set the coffee aside and hid his face in his hands.

            “You okay?” Craig whispered, Tweek nodding.

            “I-It just…feels really good.” He admitted, the blush running down from his face to his neck, which continued onto his chest. Craig hummed a bit, running his hand up his tail to rest on the spot where Tweek’s torso met his tail.  His thumb ran along the line, the skin there slowly turning to the olive green color of his tail. Craig needed to try it. Leaning over the edge of the pool, Craig started placing gentle kisses to the meeting place, enjoying the little sounds Tweek made as he continued kissing across his waist. He looked up at him after he kissed all the way across and back, Tweek smiling at him. Craig sat back, his hand move up and down his tail still.

            “What’s it like being able to swim so easily?” Tweek thought a moment, relaxing under the pleasing touch of Craig’s hand.

            “Well…it can be exhilarating. I’ve done so many things humans have dreamed of. I’ve swam with dolphins, rode on the back of a whale, hell, I even swam with sharks! They’re very docile creatures when they don’t feel threatened. Humans harm them way too much,” Tweek pointed to a horseshoe shaped scar on his left hip. “This is from an eel. Now, eels, especially electric eels, which aren’t even eels technically, are the _devil_! They think they know everything and they think they can control everything in an area. I was swimming too low to the ocean floor one time and I got too close to an electric eel’s home and he decided to bite my damn hip!” Craig chuckled, eyes bright as he listened to such interesting stories.

            “What about sting rays?” Tweek’s face lit up.

            “They’re my favorite,” He looked at Pluto after he smacked Tweek’s chest. “Besides you!” He rolled his eyes with a small smile. “But they’re just…so majestic. So beautiful. They’re incredible to swim with. Such gentle giants.” Craig smiled, asking Tweek questions about his life home for about an hour. The Tucker family came up for their nightly dinner around seven o’clock, Tweek taking a look around at the people with him as he ate. By the end of dinner, Tweek had made his decision. He’s been thinking about it every day this week, but now Tweek was certain: he was going to give up his tail.

* * *

 

Tweek didn’t know much about the process of drying out your tail, but he heard stories of it being _really painful_. He was worried as he laid there Monday morning, alone in the house. Music filled the room, Craig leaving a radio station on for Tweek so he had something to listen to instead of sitting in silence. Tweek glanced down at his tail, sighing a shaky breath as he ran his hands over it. He looked at Pluto, smiling sadly.

            “I’m not crazy, right? I need to do this,” Pluto crawled down by Tweek’s fins, wrapping his tentacles around the base of his tail. He gave it a light squeeze before releasing his grip, Tweek blinking. “You think…letting go of my tail will be good?” Pluto raised a tentacle, meaning he agreed. “Why?” Pluto crawled across the floor to Craig’s bed side table, reaching an arm up and grabbing the picture frame that sat there. He scuttled back over to Tweek, thrusting the picture frame into his hand. It was the picture Craig showed him of all his friends, but Pluto tapped Craig’s face in the image. “Craig?” He raised his tentacle, then scurried across the room and up the front of his dresser. He grabbed the conch that sat there, handing it to Tweek. Pluto then went across the room, pointing out the plethora of empty coffee mugs by the door that Craig kept forgetting to take down. He moved back to the pool, hitting the side of it a few times before crawling back onto the edge of the pool. Tweek blinked, looking at everything he pointed out. “He…cares,” Pluto raised his tentacle again, and Tweek swore he saw a small smile. He let out a shaky breath, pulling his tail up to his chest and placing his lips to it gently. “Forgive me mom and dad.” He whispered, squeezing his eyes shut as he slowly pulled himself out of the pool. He leaned against Craig’s bean bag chair, enjoying the comfort it brought him. It smelt like Craig, so he imagined it was Craig behind him, keeping him safe and happy. Tweek ran his hands down above his tail, the moisture in it appearing on the palms of his hands. He flung the water into the pool, looking at Pluto as he laid there. It take a long time to dry out a tail, so he knew he should start now. Craig told him he had some sort of doctor’s appointment after school (ortho…orthodentist? Orthodontist? He wasn’t entirely sure what the word was), so Craig would be home around four he said. It was one o’clock now, and Tweek just begged that it was enough time. He didn’t want Craig to find him. He wanted it to be a surprise. Fifteen minutes had passed already and Tweek was bored, so he tried to boot up Craig’s video game system like he showed him. When he moved, he felt the first wave of pain. It was a tingling sensation in his lower back, the feeling similar to when Tweek’s hand would fall asleep, but slightly more intense. He hissed a bit, wincing as he moved. He grabbed the controller, turning the TV on and settling back against the bean bag chair. It was that _GTA_ Craig always plays, so he figured he’d try it since he didn’t know how to change the disc. He was horrible at it, but it was still a nice distraction from the increasing pain. After an hour, the pain became more noticeable and harder to ignore. It was a burning sensation that felt like his tail had been lit on fire (Craig taught him that fire was not to be played with), his muscles in his tail tensing as time went on. Tweek tried to focus on the music, gritting his teeth as he saw the color begin to fade from his tail. The scales first lost their purplish tint, then the olive green itself started to fade. He looked at Pluto, swallowing hard. The octopus could sense his pain, crawling over and grabbing Tweek’s hand with a tentacle. It had been about an hour and a half when Tweek let out a scream, the pain growing in intensity much faster as time went on. It felt like someone was stabbing him (Craig taught him that knives aren’t to be messed with since they can seriously hurt people), his eyes screwing shut as the pain was more persistent. It didn’t fade in and out anymore, it was a consistent pain that was _agonizing_ to Tweek. He glanced at the clock after a while, a cold sweat forming on his forehead. _Three o’clock_. One more hour and Craig would be home. His tail was an ugly brown color, Tweek biting into a discarded t-shirt that was nearby on the floor as the first crack appeared in his tail. He let out a sob, the throbbing in his tail unbearable. It throbbed as it searched for moisture, but sadly finding none. Tweek was finding it hard to keep his eyes open, his eyes screwing shut as he felt the second crack appear. _God_ , they weren’t kidding when they said it was a slow painful process. He tried thinking of Craig, images of him playing bass or singing or laughing at something his sister said at dinner filled his mind. It was comforting, but not distracting. He glanced at the clock once more: _three fifteen._ How has it only been fifteen minutes?! It felt like an hour had passed already! He let out another scream, the cracks showing up more rapidly as his tail looked dead. Well, technically, it was. It resembled a dead fish that happened to get washed ashore, the typically slick scales completely lacking of moisture and withered from the air. It was sad to see, but he still knew this had to happen. Tweek felt sick to his stomach, nudging Pluto. He couldn’t even talk in fear of vomiting, frantically pointing his shaking hand to the trash can. Pluto scuttled across the floor, grabbing it and bringing it back. He vomited into the recently changed trash bag, coughing a few times before he screamed again. The pain had been so overwhelming, so consuming, he didn’t hear the front door open as he screamed the loudest he had, his tail minutes away from cracking apart. Trying to distract himself, he listened to the song on the radio.

            _I really want to see you_

_Really want to be with you_

_Really want to see you, Lord_

_But it takes so long, my Lord_

He let out a cry as he stared down at his tail, a hand going to his mouth to stop the noises. _Don’t alert his neighbors!_

            “Tweek?!” He gasped, hearing Craig’s voice rushing to the door. _NO! Not yet! He can’t see-_ A wave of pain consumed Tweek’s entire body, the scream ripped from his body this time. He didn’t stop screaming when the door opened. He didn’t stop screaming as his tail fell apart and all over the floor. He stopped screaming when he fell back against the bean bag chair, unconscious. Craig stared with wide eyes at the sight before him, tears filling his eyes as he stepped into the room slowly. He swallowed hard, kneeling next to Tweek.

            _I really wanna know you_

_(Hallelujah)_

_I really wanna go with you_

_(Hallelujah)_

_I really wanna show you, Lord_

_That it won’t take long, my Lord_

His face was red and sweaty from the process, and Craig let his eyes wander down. He blushed a dark red as he got to where his tail should be, but there was none. Instead he found a nice dick, plump thighs, and a pair of long pale legs that had cute freckles over them. Craig stared at Tweek’s face in disbelief, slowly picking up a piece of his shattered tail. Curling his fingers around the dry scale that managed to stay whole, he smiled a bit, realizing the extent of the situation: Tweek let his tail dry out, and underneath was a pair of legs. He did it for Craig.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy! That was fun to write! Hope you enjoyed this chapter and I apologize for my absence! I had literally no free time these past few days and I've been dying to write this chapter! There were a lot of things mentioned in this chapter that were fun: I googled that Pearl Jam fact, and yes, it's true, Eddie Vedder's songs were used in a mini-opera. My dad also listened to Pearl Jam as I grew up/it's also his favorite band. My grandfather was best friends with Jon Bon Jovi growing up and played bass guitar in bands with him before he got his record deal (he went into the navy right before he did), so he used to play bass for us and I loved that you can feel the bass when it's played. Subdivisions is my favorite Rush song and my headcannon singing voice for Craig is Danny Sexbang (aka Dan Avidan). Sorry this note got so long just had a lot of fun lil' facts/things this chapter! Hope you enjoyed and, as always, any and all feedback is appreciated!  
> Songs:  
> Subdivisions-Rush: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EoG3lXLCc8  
> (Here is Ninja Sex Party's cover so you can hear what I imagine Craig would sound like when singing (except maybe a smidgen lower): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5h3Pw46GOk)  
> My Sweet Lord-George Harrison: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qJTJNfzvr8


	10. Chapter 10

Soft. Everything was soft around Tweek. What happened? Where was he? Why was everything touching him so _soft_? Fluttering his eyes open, Tweek stretched his arms above his head, sighing as he adjusted to the dim lighting of the room. The sun was setting, a light orange color filling the room. Oh! He was in Craig’s room, but…why was he in Craig’s _bed_? Tweek blushed as he realized he was in his bed, the idea of being in the same resting place as Craig so foreign to him. But…human beds were so _comfortable_. So… _soft_. He cuddled into the sheets, humming as he wrapped them around him more. Reaching down, he itched a spot on his hip that tickled from the fabric of the sheet, blinking as he felt _no scales_. Everything started to trickle back into Tweek’s mind: the pain, the dead color of his tail, the crying, and finally, Craig’s shocked face in the doorway. Looking down at the comforter toward the bottom of the bed, Tweek slowly wiggled his new toes, giggling as he saw them moving under the comforter. He brought his leg towards him, using his knowledge of humans and thinking of how Craig moves as he bent his knee. It was incredible. Tweek could do _so many things_ now! He wasn’t stuck in some pool (he loved it, but he was growing bored of just being in Craig’s room) and was now free to roam around! Well…sort of. The thought of Luis and Blake crept into his mind, wondering if they would recognize him and try and take him away even without his tail. He shuddered at the thought. _No. Don’t think about them now. You’re celebrating_. Looking around, Tweek saw that it was around five thirty, the house quiet except for the sound of Laura cooking. He jumped as the door opened, blushing as he saw Craig appear. Their eyes met for a moment, but Craig broke the silence.

            “Were you…going to tell me about this…decision?” Tweek couldn’t tell if he was excited or angry. No, he wouldn’t be angry at Tweek. He did this so he could be with Craig!

            “I…wanted it to be a surprise…” Craig rubbed the back of his neck, sighing a bit.

            “It certainly was a surprise…” He murmured, kicking the door shut behind him. He walked over slowly to his dresser, grabbing his cigarettes off of it and lighting one up. Tossing his zippo aside, he sat at the foot of the bed, staring at Tweek. The blonde bit his lip.

            “Are you… _mad_ at me?” He whispered. Craig thought a moment, his jaw clenching as he thought. His cigarette dangled between his fingers.

            “I…no. Not _mad_ just…in shock…I didn’t even know you _could_ let your tail dry like that…” He admitted, taking a draw from his cigarette. Tweek watched him, eyes sad.

            “I… _fuck_ , I-you’re mad.”

            “Tweek, I’m not mad. I’m trying to process the fact you…aren’t restricted to just this room anymore.” Tweek blinked, trying to settle his anxiety. _Okay, he doesn’t seem angry._

            “I-I just…I overheard you and your mom the other night about…driving me home…” Craig closed his eyes as he inhaled around his cigarette, sighing as he exhaled.

            “You miss your family, Tweek.”

            “I-I do! But…I’m not ready to leave you yet,” He blushed as Craig stared at him. “N-Not now. Not after we just reunited…” Craig stood, walking over slowly to tap the ash of his cigarette into the ashtray on his dresser. Leaning against the dresser, Craig shoved his chullo up a bit to tangle his fingers into his hair (which was starting to get longer on the sides, his undercut still visible though). He tugged his chullo back into place after a minute, looking over at Tweek.

            “I…just don’t want anything to happen between us that…makes you regret this decision…” Tweek blushed. He didn’t even think about that. Then again, Tweek wasn’t even sure if anything bad could even happen between the two of them. It’s definitely a possibility, he just never considered it. Tweek just knew he did this to be with Craig.

            “Don’t think like that…” He whispered, pushing himself into an upright position. While he was passed out, Craig must’ve put a pair of boxers on him. They were blue with planets on them, Tweek blushing more as he realized these were _obviously Craig’s boxers_.

            “I know…it’s just hard not to.” Craig murmured, shoving his hands into his pockets as he watched Tweek move.

            “I…,” Tweek sighed. “You’re right.” He grumbled, slowly tugging his legs up to his chest. He couldn’t help the smile that tugged at his lips, moving his new legs so exciting to him.

            “Do you want to try walking?” Tweek looked up at Craig with wide eyes, but he smiled nonetheless. As he nodded, Craig moved over to Tweek as he pushed the blankets out of the way. “So, swing your legs over the edge of the bed and put them on the floor,” Tweek followed the instructions, gasping as his feet came in contact with the carpet. He wiggled his toes on the plushy fabric beneath his toes, giggling a bit. Craig’s heart fluttered at the sound. “Here, hold my arms,” Tweek grabbed onto Craig’s biceps (trying to ignore the feeling of muscle under his fingers). “Now, I guess the best way to explain this is, like, push up by using your feet and knees? Like push your weight down onto your feet and let your knees unbend.” Tweek nodded, running through his memory to try and remember how Craig has done it. As he slowly stood up, Craig couldn’t help but notice how Tweek looked like a newborn fawn. His legs were slightly bent inward as he stood on shaky legs, breathing just as shaky as he tried to focus on Craig instructions. Craig smiled a bit, giving an encouraging nod to Tweek.

            “Now-now what do I do?”

            “Now you move your leg. It’s all in your hips,” Craig slid Tweek’s arms to his shoulders, resting his hands gently on his hips. “This is your hip joint, which is where your legs obviously get their ability to move. Just…put one foot in front of the other, and soon you’ll be walking across the floor.” Tweek blinked, looking up at him.

            “Isn’t that from a Christmas movie?” Craig blushed.

            “You know about that?” Tweek snorted.

            “The pier we visit played it around the holidays.” Craig let out a soft laugh.

            “Well, that’s good! You know the tune then. Sing that as you walk.” Tweek nodded, both boys singing the tune softly as Tweek took a few tentative steps. Craig stopped singing after about the tenth step, moving his hands up to rest on Tweek’s shoulders, letting him get a feel for how his hips would naturally move. He slowly started making their way towards the door, starting to sing again. As they walked out the door, Tweek kept his hands on Craig’s arms, Craig walking backwards towards the steps. Tricia popped her head out of her room as she heard the singing, her mouth falling open slowly as they walked by. Tweek was a natural at walking (to Craig at least), but the stairs took some getting used to. He held onto Craig’s shoulders as they walked down the steps one by one, Craig grinning up at him in encouragement. Laura furrowed her brows as she heard the tune, wondering why in the last week of March she was hearing a song from a Christmas movie. She wandered out into the living room, her eyes widening as the boys made it to the living room finally, a grin crawling across her face as Tweek looked up.

            “Well…isn’t this a surprise?” She murmured, chuckling softly. Laura smiled at the look of pure joy and excitement on Tweek’s face, her heart swelling at the simple sight. It made her realize that maybe walking is a simple thing she has taken for granted. Just by looking at how _joyous_ Tweek was made her appreciate the simple everyday task.

            “H-Hi Mrs. Tucker!” He beamed, Craig watching his face. Tweek quickly turned his gaze back down to his feet, the two of them making a few loops around the kitchen and living room. Laura had eventually gone back to cooking, but then Craig let go of Tweek. Green eyes quickly met blue as Craig took a few steps backwards, motioning for Tweek to come towards him with his hand.

            “C’mere. I think you got it. Try walking towards me.” He encouraged, the blonde nodding slowly as he let out a shaky breath. Humming the simple song to himself, he slowly took a few steps, placing one foot in front of the other. It was wobbly and he almost fell once, but he made it to Craig, both boys grinning as they repeated the process for the next twenty minutes. Thomas walked in from work during that time, confused by two things: Tweek in nothing but boxers, and Tweek _walking_. He chuckled, watching the two for a moment before going upstairs. Once he came down changed out of his work clothes, he tossed Craig a pullover sweatshirt.

            “The boy needs some clothes.” Craig blinked, blushing a bit as he nodded. He handed the sweatshirt to Tweek, who happily accepted the warmth of the clothing. It swallowed him up, the fabric almost at his knees, but it covered him. Dinner that evening was at the table, an extra plate set up for Tweek. The Tuckers enjoyed how their guest found joy in the simplest of things, but they soon realized that this is all new to him. It was like watching a child discover the world outside their homes for the first time. Technically, Tweek hasn’t seen anything but the inside of a tank and Craig’s room, so this _was_ all new to him and he was seeing everything for the first time. After dinner, Craig took Tweek up to his room, letting him hold onto his hand as they walked up the steps. He immediately started rummaging through the closet, determined to find a pair of old jeans for him. Tweek, meanwhile, was walking back and forth, getting used to the movement of walking. Pluto watched with curious eyes, mimicking a similar movement with his tentacles. He moved along-side the floor next to Tweek, Craig chuckling to himself as he heard the blonde humming the song still.

            “Can we see your friends?” Craig blinked as he stood upright, a pair of old jeans in hand. He thought about the question as he walked over, Tweek leveraging himself on Craig’s shoulders as Craig helped him step into the pair of jeans.

            “Is that…what you want?” He asked, looking up at Tweek after he zipped and buttoned them. A little loose, but a good fit. Tweek blushed, swaying side to side on his feet.

            “I-I mean…if you’re cool with that! I miss Wendy and-and I want to see the outside world! I’ve never _seen_ any land that wasn’t along the ocean!” Craig smiled a bit, chuckling.

            “Alright. I was gonna go over later tonight anyways.” Tweek’s face lit up, the shorter boy practically stumbling forward to toss his arms around Craig. Squeezing his arms tight, he placed a quick kiss to his lips, Craig staring at the wall as Tweek thanked him over and over. The quick kiss left his lips tingling, craving more. He didn’t want to push it though, his mind memorizing that quick kiss as they began their walk to Token’s house across town.

* * *

  


Walking to Token’s took a little longer than anticipated, but only because Craig wanted to let Tweek stop and ask questions about anything or stop and just stare at the way a butterfly took off from a flower. He noticed that, despite how quickly he was able to get the hang of walking, Tweek never let go of Craig’s arm. The raven haired boy wasn’t sure if it was because Tweek was too afraid to ask about holding hands, or if he just wanted to be close to Craig. Maybe it was just to help steady his still slightly shaky legs, but Craig wasn’t sure. He’d like to think it was all three. When they reached the door, Craig turned to Tweek before knocking.

            “Listen…they maybe a little… _drunk_.” Tweek blinked.

            “What does-”

            “You know what alcohol is right?” Tweek nodded slowly. “Well, when someone drinks _too much_ , they get what’s called drunk. They don’t act themselves and they get _stupid_ …especially those group of guys and gals in there. They’re _extra stupid_.”

            “Even Kyle?” Craig tensed a bit at the mention of his name. He still wasn’t used to the fact Tweek _knew_ of their past.

            “Sometimes. He isn’t a big drinker.” Tweek nodded slowly again.

            “Do… _I_ have to drink?”

            “Tweek, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to, okay? Don’t let Cartman influence you. Don’t let Kenny influence you. Don’t fucking let _Stan_ influence you…don’t let any of Kyle’s friends influence you.” Tweek giggled a bit, nodding.

            “Aye.” He said, Craig ringing the doorbell a few times. It took a minute, but a slightly tipsy Token answered the door.

            “Hey Craig and-” Token stopped as he saw Tweek _standing_ there, rubbing his eyes a bit with his free hand. “Holy _shit_ , how much did I drink?”

            “You’re not dreaming, dude.” Craig said, pushing past him as he held onto Tweek’s hand. The blonde’s face turned a bright red to match the sweatshirt he had on, the simple feeling of Craig’s fingers laced with his sending shivers up and down his arm and spine. There was heavy music coming from the basement, the bass tickling their feet even through their shoes as they headed downstairs. The laughter and conversations came to an abrupt halt as they both made it to the bottom of the stairs, the song fading out and the room was instantly filled with an… _awkward_ silence. No one really knew what to say at first. What were they to say? The last time any of them saw Tweek they had to bust him out of an aquarium because he had _a tail_. Now, he stood before them with two legs and feet and clothes that didn’t fit him. Clyde, of course, broke the silence first.

            “What the fuck?!” Craig snorted, tugging Tweek over towards the couch. Wendy rushed over, tossing her arms around Tweek.

            “When did-how did this happen?!” She practically squealed as she pulled away. Tweek blushed, grinning slowly.

            “T-This afternoon…I gave up my tail!”

            “Can you get it back?!” Stan asked, Tweek turning a darker red as he quickly darted his eyes to Craig, then back to Stan.

            “I-It’s complicated.”

            “Can’t be that complicated.” Kenny chuckled, sipping at his beer.

            “No-no it is!” Tweek squeaked out, not willing to have a conversation about how he’d have to _have sex_ in _the ocean_ with _Craig Tucker_.

            “We have time to hear this explanation, merdude.” Cartman added, sipping from his own beer.

            “N-No we really don’t! What’s this?!” He grabbed the beer from Wendy’s hand, taking two big gulps and grimacing as he handed it back. Craig let out a soft laugh, rubbing small circles in his back as he noticed the blonde visibly shaking at the shoulders as he coughed from the taste of cheap beer.

            “Jesus Christ, guys, this isn’t twenty questions! Back the fuck up, alright? Give the kid some air.” Craig shooed them away, keeping his hand on the small of Tweek’s back. Tweek, meanwhile, appreciated the gesture. He was anxious because he knew he needed to _tell_ Craig there was a way for him to get his tail back, but he wasn’t sure when he’d tell him. Instead, he turned to look at him, looking his face up and down.

            “What else do people drink?” He asked, genuinely curious. Tweek needed to relax, and it sounded like humans relaxed through drinking. And that’s exactly what he wanted to try.

* * *

  


It didn’t take long before Tweek felt the warmth of the tequila he was sharing with Craig. He wasn’t _planning_ on getting drunk, but he was fond of the liquor, the scent familiar to him (a lot of beach goers enjoyed an icy margarita on hot days). Craig was comfortably drunk as well, Tweek leaning into his side as they watched Clyde and Kenny arm wrestle for the umpteenth time that evening. When Clyde pushed Kenny’s arm down, Tweek watched as the beer went tumbling over. Quickly, he shot his hand forward, the can continuing to fall as the beer hung in the air. Everyone froze, watching Tweek. The blonde blushed, smiling sheepishly.

            “Sorry?” He slurred, Kenny reaching down slowly and putting the can on the table. Tweek twisted his hand slightly, the stream of liquid flowing back into the can. Craig let out a low whistle next to him as he took a swig of their shared bottle of tequila, Clyde and Cartman enjoying the little trick a little too much.

            “What the fuck that’s so _sick!_ There’s a pool outside! Can we do more shit?!” Cartman begged, practically tossing himself on top of Tweek. Tweek grinned slowly, nodding as he giggled and stumbled to his feet, following the two boys outside. Everyone else slowly followed, Craig grabbing hold of Kyle’s wrist before he walked outside. The red head had been awfully quiet, causing Craig to grow worried.

            “Talk.” He mumbled, Kyle scrunching his nose up at the scent of tequila.

            “There’s nothing to talk about, dude.”

            “You’re lying,” Kyle bit the inside of his cheek. “Your nose scrunches when you lie.” Kyle blushed, scratching the tip of his nose as he swore under his breath.

            “I just…he’s got legs now…so we’re _officially_ over I guess, alright? It’s just…weird.” Craig blinked, sighing a bit as he set his bottle aside. Leaning his forearm against the wall above Kyle’s head, he leaned his face into the curly mop of red hair, closing his eyes.

            “Don’t think like that.” He murmured, thumb rubbing lightly over Kyle’s wrist.

            “I-It’s hard not to when now he’ll be around _all the time_.” Craig place a light kiss to the top of his head.

            “I know, Kyle…and I’m _sorry_ okay? What-what if we helped you-”

            “ _We_? You’re using _we_ now?” He whispered, Craig blinking as he realized what he said.

            “Kyle, we’re not-I don’t think…things are complicated right now, alright? I-I’m not doing this to rub it in your face! You’re the last person I’d want to hurt,” He tilted his face up to face him. “You know that, Broflovski. You’re smarter than that.” Kyle’s eyes darted up and down his face, his throat bobbing as he swallowed hard.

            “You reek of tequila, Craig.” He grumbled, shoving past him and towards the back door after everybody. With Tweek a considerable distance away from him, Craig was left to silence. It was odd, especially since he normally could hear this time of day now since he was always with Tweek. He forgot how daunting it is to be left to your own thoughts. Enjoying the silence for once, Craig tried to think about what Kyle said. He wasn’t rubbing this in, right? Tweek wanted to come here. He wasn’t going to tell him no! He wanted to see Wendy, get out of the house, and explore what life had to offer! Yeah, he was helping Tweek! Or was he doing this to show off? Shaking his head, Craig rubbed at his eyes, making his way outside slowly. Everything was starting to feel heavy, his body exhausted from the drinking. He tugged a cigarette out of his pocket as he walked outside, lighting it up as he watched Tweek walk slowly out onto the surface of the water. He blinked as he stared at him, his feet so delicate on the water. The guys were freaking out (except Kyle, who kept to himself as he sat on a lawn chair nursing a beer) and Wendy, Bebe, and Heidi Turner all cheered as well. Craig turned his attention to Heidi for a moment, noticing her gaze directed across the water. He followed it, smirking around his cigarette as he saw her target: Kyle. Well, at least he knew he could try and make that work. For now, Craig walked over to the edge of the pool, staring at Tweek as he smoked his cigarette. He isn’t sure if he would ever tell the boy this, but as Tweek turned on the water to face him and his eyes and face lit up when they saw each other, he felt his heart swell out of his chest. Craig wasn’t sure if it was the combination of nicotine and alcohol, the reflection of the pool light and water on Tweek’s pale skin, or the way Tweek smiled so wide Craig though his face was going to rip in half, but Craig knew he had it _fucking bad_ for Tweek.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I started this chapter a week ago and I literally have not had the time since to sit down and write. And when I do have the time, I'm fucking exhausted. Please be patient with me this next month or so! I am so incredibly busy and I haven't been taking care of myself properly and it's starting to take a toll on me, but here I am! An update! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I'm sorry it isn't crazy long, but I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless! As always, any and all feedback is appreciated!   
> Also: I was jamming to that damn song from "Here Comes Santa Clause" that Craig sings to help Tweek walk, so please enjoy it!   
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OORsz2d1H7s


	11. Chapter 11

He wasn’t sure when or how he got home, but Tweek could only focus on the _pain_ in his head. Rolling his face into the pillow, he realized he was the only one in the bed. _Where’s Craig_? He lifted his head up slowly, blonde curls sticking in every direction as he looked around the empty room. Pluto was there at least, arms hanging over the tank Craig set up for him. Tweek groaned, the room spinning a bit as he rolled over onto his back. Sitting up, he tugged the comforter around his shoulders, leaning against the headboard as Pluto crawled out of his tank and across the floor to the bed.

            “Dammit, you made a mess, Pluto.” He chuckled, holding his hand out and collecting all the water off the floor and putting it back into the tank with his powers. The door opened, Craig walking into the room with _way too short shorts_ and no shirt. Tweek yelped, tugging the comforter over his face. Craig blinked, laughing softly.

            “Why are you so bashful?”

            “You-you’re like…half naked!”

            “Tweek, you’ve seen me half naked before.” Tweek slowly tugged the comforter off his face, his blonde curls still sticking out every which way. Craig smiled a bit at the sight.

            “Why, uh, are you…dressed…like that?”

            “I had to go for a run.” Tweek blinked, tugging the comforter down more.

            “Run?”

            “I run track.” Craig grabbed his towel, wiping his face off with it and tossing it around the back of his neck, Tweek following the hanging towel. He blushed a bright red as the ends ran past his pecs, quickly turning his gaze away.

            “Could I…see sometime?” Craig kicked his sneakers off by the foot of the bed, leaning over and ruffling Tweek’s curls.

            “Sure, Tweek.” He leaned down and patted the top of Pluto’s head, Craig jumping as the octopus slapped his ass.

            “Pluto!” Tweek scolded, the octopus wrapping his arms around Tweek’s shoulders and nuzzling into him. Craig laughed softly.

            “I’m gonna get a shower. Think of some things you want to do today, alright?” He opened the door, looking back. “And drink some water. It’ll help your hangover.” Tweek blinked as the door closed, mouthing the word “ _hangover_ ” to himself as he was left in silence. Looking around, he stood up slowly, humming the song he sang so much the day before to himself to help his shaky legs. It definitely helped him, fueling his confidence. He lifted Pluto off his shoulders and set him back in the tank, kissing his head before turning to head downstairs. Before moving towards the stairs, he stopped, hearing singing from the bathroom. Tweek smiled to himself, walking slowly towards the door as he heard Craig singing. He didn’t recognize the song. Craig hadn’t played that one for him yet. He leaned against the wall outside the door, chewing on his long finger nail as he grinned slowly, Craig’s voice filling his ears.

            “ _This is Ground Control to Major Tom_

_You’ve really made the grade_

_And the papers want to know whose shirts you wear_

_Now it’s time to leave the capsule if you dare.”_

Tweek noted the lyrics, knowing how much Craig loves space. He thinks back to one of the first nights Tweek was sleeping in Craig’s room. He had a nightmare and couldn’t go back to sleep, so Craig sat by the pool and showed him book after book of constellations and planets and stars. Tweek never _knew_ there was so much information to be learned about space! The fact that he got to learn from Craig made it even more special. Pushing himself off the wall, Tweek made his way down the steps and made his way towards the kitchen. Laura looked up from her spot at the island, eating a bowl of fruit and enjoying her morning coffee.

            “Morning sweetheart!” She said, smiling at Tweek. He smiled back, standing on his tip toes to reach a glass.

            “Morning, Mrs. Tucker.”

            “Tweek, we’ve been over this.” He blushed, laughing softly.

            “S-Sorry. Morning Laura.” She chuckled around her coffee.

            “There you go,” She popped a grape into her mouth. “Want some coffee?” Tweek looked up from the faucet.

            “Oh! Yes please.” He said, padding over to the fridge to grab some fruit himself. Tricia came wandering in, her long red hair pulled up into a messy bun. She wore a tank top and sweatpants, Tweek noticing she wasn’t wearing a bra. (Not that he cared, it was just…very noticeable).

            “Morning, Tweek.” She yawned, popping a bagel in the toaster.

            “Morning, Tricia.” He said, stabbing his fork into a piece of honeydew. Thomas and Craig came downstairs at the same time as well, Tricia and Laura sitting at the counter with Tweek now. Tweek blushed a bit as he caught sight of Craig, who remained shirtless but wore sweatpants. They were a little baggy on him, the waistband of his boxers poking out. Craig grabbed an apple and leaned against the counter top, Thomas fixing a cup of coffee besides him. He grimaced.

            “Tricia, I’m all for freeing the girls, but could you put your tits away at breakfast?” Tricia snorted, flipping him off.

            “Do you know how much it _sucks_ to wear a bra?! I’m letting them out whenever I can!” Craig flipped her off back, Tweek’s eyes wide.

            “What does…that mean?” Craig blinked, chuckling softly.

            “It means ‘fuck you’. It’s almost like a term of endearment with us, though.”

            “That _single finger_ holds that much meaning?” Thomas laughed, sipping at his coffee.

            “It is a strange thing, isn’t it?” He chuckled, leaning against the counter next to his son. Tweek can’t help but stare, noticing all the similarities between the two. It made him think of his own father, a wave of sadness settling on top of him. He tried not to let it bother him, but he couldn’t help it. Nodding slowly, he turned his attention back to his fruit, chewing on a pointed nail before grabbing his cup of coffee and taking a few big gulps. Tricia noticed his mood first, leaning her cheek on her hand.

            “We need to disguise your nails.” Tweek jumped a bit, looking up.

            “W-What?”

            “Can we cut them?” Tweek yelped.

            “No! They don’t-they don’t grow back.” Tricia thought a moment.

            “We’ll just have to paint them.” Tweek furrowed his brows.

            “P-Paint…them?” Tricia grinned, jumping up and grabbing his wrist.

            “Come on! I’ll do them!” Craig blinked, watching his sister whisk Tweek away up to her room. Thomas chuckled, glancing over at Craig.

            “What are your plans today?”

            “Oh…um, I don’t know. I was going to leave it up to him.”

            “You two haven’t been very… _affectionate_.”

            “Dad!”

            “I’m just saying! I thought you two were dating!”

            “No! I mean-at least not yet! Look, I want to take it slow alright?” Laura snorted.

            “It’s two thousand eighteen, Craig. People your age have had sex at least ten times with four different people.”

            “Mom!” Craig turned a dark red, his parents laughing.

            “All I’m saying is you need to take your chance. He won’t be here forever, Craig.” Thomas said, heading over to join his wife in walking to the living room. Craig stood there, enjoying the silence he was left in. Closing his eyes, he let his mind wander, thinking of the best way to potentially ask Tweek out. He wanted to go on a date, at least. He had saved up enough money from bussing tables at the diner that he could take him out to a nice dinner. But Tweek wants to _see_ things. After a moment, he had the perfect idea, but it wouldn’t happen for another few weeks. Satisfied with his decision for a date night, Craig tossed his apple core in the trash and made his way up the steps to Tricia’s room, leaning against her doorframe. Tricia was yapping Tweek’s ears off, the blonde nodding along slowly. Craig noticed the hoops in his ears swaying, humming as he realized now his ears were still slightly pointed as well. _Hopefully people mind their damn business_. He thought, taking two big strides across the room and plopping onto Tricia’s bed. Tricia grinned as she finished putting the clear coat on top of his nails.

            “Ta-da!” She giggled, Tweek holding his hands out. Craig noticed they were painted navy blue, chuckling as Tweek wiggled his fingers to observe them in the light.

            “How-how long does it last?” He asked, eyes full of curiosity. It was all endearing to Craig, the simplest of things so joyous to the boy he saved. _Saved_. He smiled a bit to himself, thinking about how now they were even: Tweek saved him from drowning when he was ten, Craig saved him from captivity.

            “Depends! I have really high end nail polish, so it’ll last for about two weeks! Now it just looks like you have fake nails.” Tweek hummed thoughtfully, tugging his hands to him and observing them up close. Craig felt his phone buzz in his pocket, rummaging through it to see who texted him. Smiling a bit at the text, he glanced over at Tweek.

            “Hey Tweek?” The blonde turned to look at him, Craig noticing his freckles more than ever today. He cleared his throat. “Would you, uh, want to go to the mall?” Tweek’s eyes widened in amazement.

            “A mall?! Really?!”

            “Yeah. Wendy just texted asking if you wanted to go shopping with the girls. Some of the guys will be there, too.” Tweek nodded, a grin on his face.

            “I’ll go get ready!” He jumped up, rushing out of the room. It was wobbly, but he was getting better at walking. Tricia quickly shut the door before Craig could leave, her older brother staring at her with confused eyes.

            “What-”

            “Just make your move.” Craig groaned.

            “Not you, too.” He grumbled.

            “He can’t stay here forever! He has to go home eventually.”

            “I _am aware of this_ , thank you Tricia.” He groaned, trying to shove her aside. He jumped as she punched his arm.

            “Grow a fucking pair, Craig. You’re a _Tucker_. We go after what we want. Dad did with mom.”

            “Mom was dating another guy at the time they met.”

            “My point exactly! Look who she’s married to!” Craig snorted, flicking her boob through her tank top. She hissed, hugging her chest.

            “I’m working on it, alright? I got this.”

* * *

Tweek was pressed against the window for the entire duration of the car ride, Craig convinced that if he was a dog, his tail would’ve fallen off. The blonde next to him found so much excitement out of the trees and mountains Craig has seen every day since he was born. He never appreciated the sight until now, especially when the cute boy living with him was into it.

            “Have you ever climbed those mountains?” He asked, The Beatles playing softly in the background. Craig hummed as he thought.

            “The last time I hiked through the mountains was probably five years ago. I broke my wrist.” Tweek turned to face him.

            “How?”

            “I was climbing a tree. We were playing some game and I was the lookout, but the branch gave out after a while and I hit my wrist on another branch on the way down and landed on it. Shattered it.” Tweek winced.

            “That doesn’t sound fun!”

            “I had a blast.” Craig admitted, chuckling softly.

            “Why?!” Craig thought a moment, not really knowing _why_ the shit he did when he was younger was considered fun. After pondering a moment, he glanced at Tweek as he pulled into the mall parking lot.

            “Well…I got to be something I wasn’t. I spent most of my life waiting for the day I would be completely deaf. I enjoyed _listening_ to my friends laughing and-and shouting instructions to each other as we played as superheros or magical beings. I enjoyed creating those alter-egos. I just…it was simple. It’s what you did if you had the displeasure of growing up in South Park.” Tweek blinked, nodding slowly as they parked. He glanced around, furrowing his brows.

            “What is this place?” Craig grabbed his phone and wallet, shoving them into his wallet as he opened the door.

            “Parking garage. You park your cars here.” Tweek nodded, getting out of the car. Craig started heading towards the entrance, hands shoved into his sweatshirt pockets. He glanced to his left as Tweek rushed up, wrapping his arms around Craig’s left arm and sticking close. If they weren’t the same age, Craig would’ve felt like Tweek’s guardian at this point, but he knew the boy was just nervous. The world is a big and terrifying place, after all. After wandering the mall for ten minutes, they found Wendy, Bebe, Kenny, Stan, and Clyde at the food court, all of them waving the two boys down. Wendy jumped up, rushing over and looping her arm with Tweek’s.

            “Hey handsome!” She giggled, Bebe rushing up as well and prying Tweek’s arms off of Craig’s, looping her arm with his other.

            “Hope you’re feeling okay today! You were quite the entertainer last night.” She teased, Tweek blushing.

            “I-I hope I didn’t do anything stupid!” He whined, looking between the girls. They both giggled.

            “Not at all! It just looked like you had a lot of fun last night.” Wendy said, the girls and Tweek walking ahead of the groups of guys following them. Craig let out a grunt as Kenny elbowed him in the ribs, the blonde chewing on a piece of gum he got from a dispenser for a quarter.

            “You ask him out yet?”

            “What the fuck is it with people getting in my business today?!” Craig hissed, Stan snorting.

            “You were all over him last night. You sure you’re not boyfriends?”

            “Yes! We’re not dating.”

            “Why not?” Clyde asked, kicking a piece of dust along on the floor.

            “I don’t owe you an explanation. However, if you _must know_ , I just…wanted to do this properly…is that so bad?”

            “No, just _super gay_.” Clyde snickered, Craig punching him in the arm.

            “Shut the fuck up dude! When was the last time _you_ got some action?!” Clyde smirked, glancing up at Bebe.

            “Last night…” He mumbled, Craig’s eyes widened a bit as he followed his gaze.

            “You didn’t…” He hissed, Stan’s eyes widening as well.

            “Wait, _seriously?!”_

            “Dude, way to fucking go!” Kenny said, slapping his hands onto Clyde’s shoulders. Clyde snorted.

            “She called me after we all went home…granted, we were both pretty drunk still when we talked, the sex was sober. It was…incredible.” Craig smirked a bit, glancing up at the boy sandwiched between the blonde and raven haired girl. He looked calmer as they ushered him into a store, the group plopping down on a couch and loveseat that was in the store by the dressing rooms.

            “Well? What are _you two_?” Craig teased, running his tongue over his braces.

            “I…don’t know. But! I know she has a thing for me, so I’m going from there.” He stated proudly, Stan chuckling softly.

            “About time you two cut the bullshit.”

            “When are you gonna cut the bullshit with Wendy?” Stan stiffened up, turning a dark red as Kenny snickered next to him.

            “Shut up, Kenny!” He hissed, glancing over at the girl who was holding outfits up against Tweek. Craig snorted.

            “Dude, she so clearly has a thing for you. Quit being a pussy and ask her out.”

            “Same can be said to you, Tucker!”

            “I explained myself already!”

            “You wrapped us into this plan to get your boy toy and now you’re _testing the waters_?” Craig slammed his hand over Stan’s mouth, eyes dark.

            “Lower your damn voice, Marsh.” He hissed, Stan rolling his eyes as he leaned back against the couch.

            “You know what I mean though, Craig.” He hissed through his teeth, glancing around. They fell silent as the three shoppers went into the same changing room, Clyde pouting.

            “Man, why does Tweek get to see both their tits?”

            “You literally fucked Bebe last night.” Kenny pointed out, flipping through a magazine that sat on a small end table.

            “Yeah, but it was dark.”

            “You still touched them.” Stan remarked, looking at the magazine over Kenny’s shoulder.

            “Again, it was dark.”

            “You don’t need light to feel something, shithead.” Craig said, tugging his chullo over his eyes as he sprawled out on the loveseat. They fell into a comfortable silence as laughter floated from the changing room.

            “Ready, boys?!” Wendy called out, all of them jumping a bit.

            “I guess?!” Kenny called back, the opening cords to Fleetwood Mac’s _Rhiannon_ playing through the store. Everything seemed to fall into slow motion in that instance for Craig as the curtain was tossed aside. His eyes widened slightly as his eyes hit Tweek, and he knew Stan’s were wide for Wendy, and Clyde for Bebe. Wendy wore high waisted skinny jeans and a mustard yellow turtle neck, her hair pulled up into a messy bun. Bebe had found a red jumpsuit, the fabric hugging her curves. It was high necked and had an opening in the design to show off her cleavage. Tweek took the cake for Craig (for obvious reasons). He had on black skinny jeans and a rusty orange short sleeve button up. He had the shirt buttoned all the way up, the fabric tucked into the skinny jeans. He also wore a black boater hat, his blonde curls popping against the dark fabric. The song was haunting in that instance, the lyrics ringing in Craig’s ears. He was sure they were deafening to Stan and Clyde, the three boys staring with opened mouths.

            _All your life you’ve never seen_

_A woman taken by the wind_

_Would you stay if she promised you heaven?_

_Will you ever win?_

“Oh fuck.” They all said at once, Kenny smirking at the sight. He snapped his fingers in front of Clyde and Stan’s faces, both boys pushing his hands down.

            “Nice going, dudes, you broke them.” He laughed, Craig swallowing hard as Tweek laughed with the girls. It was the most glorious thing he ever saw. The outfit made Tweek fit right in, his piercings making him look much like a hipster. Craig could get used to the outfit.

            “So…should we get the outfits?” Bebe asked, the three boys nodding slowly. Bebe laughed as she tugged the curtain closed, turning to Tweek. “I told you it would work.” She whispered to him, the blonde blushing.

            “You think he liked it?” He whispered back, tugging lightly at his curls. Wendy grabbed his wrists, smiling softly.

            “He looked ready to jump your bones.” Tweek grinned slowly, letting out a breathless laugh.

            “Y-yeah? You think?”

            “You saw Craig. He could barely speak!” Wendy giggled, the group changing back into their regular clothing.

            “Yeah but…m-maybe he was just being nice!”

            “There’s no faking that look, Tweek,” Bebe said, adjusting her breasts in the mirror. “You have a lot to learn about human teenage boys. I’ve been serving these boys for years now, and if there’s one thing I know about Craig Tucker,” She turned to face him after tugging her shirt over her head. “He’s terrible at hiding his crushes.” Tweek grinned a bit, tugging his too big sweatshirt and slightly baggy jeans on. Wendy and Bebe glanced at each other, smiling.

            “Let us buy you the outfit.” Wendy said, grabbing the clothes before Tweek could.

            “What?! No! Why would you do that?!” The blonde squeaked, tugging his hair.

            “Because we want to! Stop pulling your hair!” Bebe chuckled, grabbing his wrists while Wendy grabbed their clothing. She bolted to the register, Bebe walking out with Tweek. The boys all stood, following them out the store once Wendy walked passed, handing Tweek the bag containing his clothes. Stan rushed up next to Wendy, talking softly with her while Kenny and Clyde chatted with Bebe. Craig, meanwhile, felt like his heart was going to pound out of his chest. He glanced at Tweek, blushing a bit as Tweek looked at him after a moment. He quickly turned away, tensing up.

            “You okay?” Tweek asked, smiling a bit.

            “Huh? Oh! Yeah! Great!” He breathed out, rubbing the back of his neck. He shot Tweek a toothy grin, Tweek giggling a bit as he looked down.

            “Did you really like the outfit that much?”

            “You looked _incredible_! I-I mean,” He cleared his throat. “Yeah! I really liked it,” He said, his voice calmer than before. Tweek grinned, picking at a string on his sleeve. Craig wasn’t sure what to do. Should he kiss him? They’ve kissed before! They’ve covered that ground already! No. Not now. He wanted each kiss with Tweek to be special. They were limited time only. Should he offer to carry his bag? Maybe. That could work. “Do, uh, do you want me to carry your bag?” Tweek blinked, looking down at the bag.

            “Oh! If you, uh, want to. Thanks, Craig!” He said, smiling a bit. Craig nodded, taking the bag from him and putting it in his right hand. They continued their walk to the next store, their fingers brushing past one another. Craig felt like he was going to implode from the contact, his skin tingling where Tweek’s skin grazed his. Should he hold his hand? Could he do that? Was that allowed?! _Just fucking do it!_ Finally growing a pair of balls, Craig reached his hand out, quickly lacing his fingers together with Tweek’s. He felt the blonde tense under his touch, but that quickly melted away. He heard a soft laugh from the boy, glancing over at him out of the corner of his eyes. He was blushing and had a goofy grin on his face. Craig hadn’t realized it at the time, but he had a similar goofy grin on his face. They didn’t let go of each other’s hands for the remainder of the shopping trip, their wrists sore by the end. It was all worth it to Craig. Tweek was worth everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so totally here for the "Craig's a useless homosexual" trope because he doesn't know how to talk/act around cute boys. Hope you enjoyed this wholesome chapter!!! I've been trying to take my time with this story since I found myself getting burnt out a lot on my last one. If you like my writing, check out my other fanfiction and my one shot! Both are Creek ;) Thanks for reading and, as always, any and all feedback is appreciated! Follow my tumblr at crowded-skies.tumblr.com!  
> Songs:  
> Space Oddity-David Bowie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYYRH4apXDo  
> Rhiannon-Fleetwood Mac: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_aYibUx1B8


	12. Chapter 12

It had been a few weeks since Tweek had given up his tail and Craig was trying to entertain him as often as possible. He spent all day alone in the house, so whenever he came home after track practice, he’d take him out for a walk. It felt like having a dog, but instead of a dog, it was _a human_ who had never seen most everyday objects and surroundings. Tweek still found simple beauty in everything, and Craig still found Tweek simply beautiful. Laura took the boys out last weekend to get Tweek some more clothes because according to her, he can’t live in Craig’s hand me downs forever. Craig objected, but Tweek surprisingly agreed with Laura. It’s not that Craig didn’t want Tweek to have clothes, he just knew this was temporary. He tries not to let that bother him, but it’s impending and constantly in the back of his mind whenever he lets himself relax. It creeps up on him and Craig can’t stand it. Currently, however, he had no time to think of that as he got ready for school. It was seven am and he was running behind as he shoved his track spikes and running clothes into his track bag (he had a meet today after school. An important one, too). Tweek usually wakes up when Craig’s alarm flashes and rings, talking with him while he could. Today, however, Tweek seemed to have something on his mind.

            “You’re awfully quiet.” Craig said, shoving books into his backpack before sitting down to tie his converse. Tweek pressed his fingers together, biting his lip.

            “Can I go to school with you today?!” Craig blinked, looking up.

            “What?”

            “I-I want to see your school!”

            “Tweek, I can’t just _bring you to school_.”

            “Why not?”

            “I-” Stopping to think about it, Craig didn’t really have a good excuse. South Park High didn’t give two shits who entered the school (which was concerning), but he just didn’t think Tweek would be interested in sitting in school all day. Hell, Craig isn’t interested in sitting in school all day. Granted, Craig has also been doing this for the past fifteen years. Did mermaids even have school? He sighed, running a hand through his hair before tugging his chullo on his head. “Alright. But you have to wear the outfit Wendy and Bebe bought you.”

            “Why?!”

            “It hides your ears, dingus.” He flicked the point of his ear, causing the blonde to yelp and laugh a bit.

            “Oh! Right!”

            “Come on! I’m running late already!” Craig called out as he headed downstairs, Tricia already eating her breakfast as Craig rushed to grab a bowl of cereal.

            “Bout time.” She said around her bagel, rolling her eyes at Craig.

            “Shut up! Tweek’s coming so we have to wait.” She blinked.

            “Wait, _what_?!”

            “He’s coming to school with us.”

            “Well, what are you gonna tell people?! He’s your mermaid boyfriend?!” Craig punched her arm, Tricia letting out a yell of pain.

            “Shut up, Tricia!”

            “You don’t think this shit through, Craig!”

            “What ideas do _you_ have?!” He yelled, rushing up the steps. He realized he had forgotten his hearing aids. He still wore them during school. Tweek jumped as he barged in, Craig blushing as he was only in his underwear. “Fuck! Sorry!” He shouted, quickly grabbing his hearing aids and rushing out the door. Tweek winced as he heard Craig yell out in pain as he hit his hip on the doorknob on the way out. The blonde glanced at Pluto who seemed to be laughing, Tweek shooting him a look.

            “Be nice, Pluto!” He scolded, tugging the skinny jeans on. After Tweek finished getting ready, he walked downstairs, carrying to black combat boots Laura bought him. “Craig?” He called out, Craig looking up from his bowl of cereal.

            “What?” He asked, quickly gulping down his milk and tossing the bowl in the sink. Tweek blushed.

            “Will you help me tie my shoes?” Craig nodded, wiping his mouth on his sleeve.

            “Tricia, meet us in the car!” He called out, Tricia not looking up from her phone as she walked out the front door. Craig hit the unlock button on his keys for her, kneeling down and helping Tweek get his feet in the shoes. The blonde seemed excited, something Craig wishes he was. Once he finished tying his shoes for him, he rushed back to the kitchen, handing Tweek an apple. “Come on we’re gonna be late.” He said, grabbing his backpack and track bag. When they walked outside, Tweek got in the back seat while Craig locked the door. Tricia looked up from her phone, signing to Craig from the passenger’s seat.

            “ _Could you move any slower?”_ Craig glared at her.

            “ _Don’t be fucking rude.”_ He signed back, getting in the driver’s seat after tossing his bags in the back next to Tweek. Craig quickly drove off towards South Park High, glancing back at Tweek from time to time. Per usual, the blonde was staring out the window with curious eyes despite seeing these same trees and homes before. The ride was relatively quiet, Tweek asking a question every now and then. Once they got to school, Tricia jumped out, Craig grabbing his backpack and track bag out of the back seat as Tweek walked around to his side of the car.

            “This is school?” He asked, looking around the parking lot full of cars and students rushing towards the building.

            “Yeah. You’ll hate it…maybe. Now, if anyone asks, you’re a family friend’s kid that we’re watching for a bit while your parents are out of town and you can’t be left alone because you have panic attacks.” Tweek nodded, mouthing the sentence to himself as they walked to the school. Once inside, Tweek tried to contain his excitement. It was interesting watching the students interact with each other, how they put things in the wall (the wall had small looking doors, however, that protected their things), and even how they rushed to their classes. It was incredible! Tweek stuck close to Craig, following him to his small hole in the wall.

            “What are these things?” He whispered, blue eyes peering up at Craig from under the brim of the hat. Craig quickly put his combination in, shoving his track bag into his locker along with a few textbooks he didn’t need at the moment.

            “They’re called lockers. Every student gets one. It holds things we don’t need at the moment. Super helpful,” He quickly explained, slamming the locker shut and grabbing Tweek’s hand. “Come on. We can make the bell.” He murmured, walking quickly to homeroom. Sure enough, as soon as they walked through the doorway, the bell rang, causing Tweek to jump. Grabbing a nearby chair from the back of the room, Craig plopped it next to his unassigned assigned seat, instructing Tweek to sit in it. The blonde followed his directions, looking around the classroom. He noticed Heidi, Bebe, and Wendy, giving the girls a wave when they waved to him. When their homeroom teacher came in (tired and sluggish as always with a ginormous thermos of herbal tea in hand), she plopped her things down on her desk, sighing as she sat down and tugged out her paper with the kids names on it. Calling out the names, Tweek watched in awe as the kids responded back to her, leaning over to Craig.

            “What’s happening?” He whispered, eyes full of curiosity. Craig smirked a bit.

            “She’s making sure everyone is-”

            “Craig Tucker.”

            “Here.” He finished, catching the gaze of his teacher as he turned his head away from Tweek. He grinned a toothy grin at her, the woman raising her eyebrow.

            “Craig, who’s your little friend?”

            “His name is Tweek, uh…Tweak,” The blonde blinked at the last name Craig chose, glaring a bit at him. Craig noticed it out of the corner of his eye, letting out a soft laugh. “First name with two e’s and last name spelled with an e and an a. Family friend. Can’t be alone.” Wendy snorted across the room, Tweek spotting her hand reaching for her water bottle. He quickly made the water freeze in the bottle, Wendy twisting around and glaring at him playfully. He stuck his tongue out at her, giggling a bit.

            “Why can’t he be left alone, Mr. Tucker?” The teacher grumbled, rubbing her temples.

            “Panic attacks.”

            “Okay. Whatever.” Craig was surprised she didn’t press on. He was expecting a few questions about how he could respond so quickly today when it takes a while for him to realize his name is being called, or how he reacted to every person saying their name. Craig couldn’t remember the last time he heard most of the voices around him. Hell, he couldn’t remember the last time he heard so many voices _at once._ It was all _new_ to him, and honestly, it made school a little less miserable that day.

* * *

After school, Craig stood at his locker as Tweek talked about all his favorite and least favorite things from the day. He enjoyed physics, hated economics, tolerated English and history, and loathed calculus.

            “What the fuck do all those lines and shit mean anyways?!” Tweek squawked, tangling his fingers into his hair. Craig felt his lips tug up into a smile, chuckling softly. He grappled Tweek’s hands out of his hair, fixing the hat on his head.

            “I couldn’t fucking tell you. I’m only taking calculus because I want to go into a science field.”

            “Why would you _do that_?!” Craig snorted as they started walking to the locker rooms.

            “I like science.” He shrugged, shoving the locker room door open with his shoulder. Tweek blindly followed.

            “Yeah, _I know_ _that_ , but, like, _calculus_?! Why would you ever put yourself through such torture?!  That’s absolutely- _OH_!” Tweek froze, noticing the room of half-naked men. He turned a bright red, Craig grabbing his wrist to tug him along to the row he always changed in. Clyde, Stan, Kyle, Token, and Kenny were already there, Kenny and Stan in their boxers while the other three had their shorts on.

            “Did you break him?” Stan teased, noticing how flushed and flustered Tweek was. Craig quickly tugged his shirt and jeans off, snorting.

            “He’s gonna sit with the girls but I didn’t have time to drop him off!” He said as he tugged his tank top on. Tweek felt like he was going to explode. He had never seen so many fit people in one place. Hell, he had never seen so many fit and _attractive_ people in one place! Sure, he literally grew up seeing shirtless people, but this was different. These were _teenage human boys_. They were full of hormones, strength, testosterone. Well, at least that’s what he’s heard and learned about from the girls. Bebe tried to explain sex to him, but he knew it would be different for him. He didn’t have whatever Bebe had. He let out a nervous breath, his eyes dropping down to his jeans. What the fuck was _happening in his pants?!_ He felt warm. Excited. _Alive._ Tweek needed to get out of here. He was ready to be slammed against the lockers and taken advantage of by all these boys, _especially Craig._ He’s seen him shirtless so many times, yet he still feels the same way every time: _frustrated._ Swallowing the lump in his throat, Tweek shuffled over to Craig, tapping his shoulder. Once he turned around to meet his eyes, he yelped, letting out a nervous laugh.

            “I-I’m gonna go find the girls! Good luck at-at your meet!” He choked out, practically sprinting out of the locker room. Craig blinked, watching him bolt out of the room. He smirked a bit, putting his foot up on the bench to tie his spikes. Token smirked as he leaned against the lockers across from Craig.

            “Have you taught him about sex yet?” Craig jumped at the question, barely making it out. Tweek was running away from him so quickly, the magic giving him his hearing going with him.

            “What? No! It-he doesn’t need to know that yet.” He said, walking out with the guys after he finished tying his spikes.

            “I don’t know. He seemed _really taken aback_ by the sight of half-naked men.” Kenny informed, stretching his arms above his head as they walked out to the track.

            “Everything is still new to him.”

            “It’s been almost three weeks, Craig.” Clyde chimed in, the six of them starting their warm up jog around the track.

            “You can’t tell him everything at once! There’s so much information to tell him! It’s like I have a fucking newborn!” Stan snorted.

            “You kinda do. Just in the form of an eighteen year old former mermaid.” Craig rolled his eyes, noticing Kyle ignoring him still. After they finished their jog, they lined up to do one lap in full sprint. Clyde shouted “go!” of course, taking off before anyone registered his yell. Meanwhile, Tweek sat in the bleachers with the girls, joined by Cartman and Jimmy. He was still flustered, choking over his words as he tried to explain how he was feeling.

            “Warm! That’s a good word to describe it! Really, _really_ warm! Everywhere! Mainly-mainly _low_ in my stomach! _Gah!_ What the fuck is all of this?! What does this _mean_?! Why do I still feel it?! I feel excited! I wanted to be slammed against the lockers and-and I wanted to be kissed and-and- _fuck-what’s happening?!_ ” Cartman snorted as he sipped at his can of soda.

            “Dude, you’re turned on!”

            “ _What_?! What the fuck does that even _mean_?!” He screeched, hands going up to his curls. Wendy and Bebe each grabbed a hand, patting it gently.

            “Sweetie, you’re just feeling...well, sexual feelings for the first time!” Bebe explained, giggling softly.

            “Craig seriously hasn’t told you anything about sex?” Wendy asked, eyebrow raised. Tweek swallowed hard, shaking his head.

            “Is-Is that bad?”

            “No! Just…surprising.” She murmured, Jimmy snickering.

            “C-Craig is d-depriving you of the-the joys of s-sexual discovery, m-my guy.” Tweek blinked, turning his attention to the track as the first few events started. Everyone took turns explaining the events to him, this particular event called hurdles. Clyde was in this one, and he was _good_. Bebe was yelling at him, Tweek jumping in surprise. _Why is she yelling_? Once she sat back down with a grin on her face after he got second place, Tweek looked at her.

            “Why were you yelling at him?”

            “I was cheering! It’s to encourage them while they run.” Tweek blinked, nodding slowly. He mumbled the sentence a few times to himself, fascinated with the entire concept of yelling at someone to encourage them. Next up was an event called the hundred meter dash, Kenny apparently running this one. He decided to try out this _cheering_ concept, yelling with the rest of the group at Kenny as he sprinted past the guy in first at the last second, taking that first place spot. Tweek grinned.

            “Hey it worked!” He giggled, the emotions he was previously experience melting away. It was replaced with excitement, wonder, and a sense of competitiveness. No one he knew ran any events for good amount of time, a _long time_ actually. Finally, the last event came up, noticing Stan, Token, Kyle, and Craig all doing warm ups in the grass patch in the middle of the track. He blinked. “Do they all run together?”

            “Sort of,” Cartman started, turning to face them. “They’re a relay team. Token is our starter because he’s black.” He yelled out in pain as Wendy kicked him.

            “That’s not why, _asshole_! Token runs two laps around the track first because he always gives us a good lead, then he passes that metal baton in his hand to Kyle. Kyle passes it to Stan, who passes it to Craig. Craig runs last because he’s our fastest guy. He’s _somehow_ our fastest guy. The guy smokes and still runs faster than everyone on the team. He’s also last because he often takes back the lead if we happen to fall back. Token normally gives us a good distance between our guys and the others, but Adam’s Ridge is here today. They’re our rivals.”

            “Rivals?”

            “T-T-They’re in the n-next county over. They-they always have i-it-it out for us.” Jimmy stammered out, Tweek nodding slowly.

            “So, we don’t like the guys in red?” He pointed to the Adam’s Ridge team warming up in the grass.

            “Exactly. We want our guys to win the relay, just like every other event. If we win this, I think we win the meet. Which means we go to states.” Bebe said, Tweek nodding again as he grasped the concept. The first runners lined up, Token taking his position at the starting line. As the shot went off for them to run, Tweek jumped (it had been startling him all meet), blinking as everyone took off running as fast as they could. Wendy was right. Token did give them a good lead. Token passed it off to Kyle after he rounded the bend of his last lap, the red head taking off. The second runner to Adam’s Ridge passed him, however, handing it off to their third guy as Kyle rounded the bend. Stan quickly took it, taking off. He was able to pass the third guy, but Tweek winced as he heard Stan yell out in pain on his second lap. The spikes of the third runner from Adam’s Ridge dug into the backside of his calf, Tweek noticing the blood from across the track. Stan quickly fell behind, the third and fourth placed runners passing him even as he stumbled to keep his speed up.

            “Fuck! Stan push through it!” Wendy shouted, looking at her friends. “That asshole did it on purpose!” Eric’s face lit up.

            “Oh shit! Shit, wait!” Cartman tugged his phone out, pulling up a song.

            “Eric no!” Bebe whined, standing up to view the track better.

            “I got to! It’s perfect! Craig’s gonna do it! He’s gonna win this!” Tweek blinked as he saw the words _Rocky_ flash across Eric’s screen, the song starting slow as Stan rounded the bend, clearly gritting his teeth.

            “Come on, Marsh!” Tweek heard Craig call out, the music swelling in time with the hand off. Tweek blinked as Craig turned, sprinting as fast as he could. He quickly closed the distance between the two runners in front of him, but he still needed to catch Adam’s Ridge. Everything was moving so fast for Tweek as Craig ran past him, finishing his first lap. To Craig, however, everything was slow. The sounds around him were faint with Tweek being a considerable distance from him, but they were there. He wasn’t used to it, and he could faintly hear Eric playing that damn song from _Rocky_ again. Gritting his teeth, Craig dug his spikes into the track as he rounded the bend, sprinting faster (if that was possible) on the final straight away.

            “Come on, Craig!” Tweek screamed, the noise clear as day to him. Craig let out a grunt, rounding the corner as the Adam’s Ridge boy was half way through the bend. They finished rounding the bend around the same time, the excitement in the stands deafening. All the South Park and Adam’s Ridge students rushed down to the fences, wanting to see the final moment. With a yell, Craig leaned his body forward, crossing the finish line seconds before the Adam’s Ridge kid. The students burst into cheers and screams, rushing onto the track. Craig grabbed onto the fence as he slowed down, his momentum carrying him into it. Gripping hard onto it, he panted as he tried to catch his breath. “Craig?!” He whipped around, sweat dripping from his forehead and jaw. Tweek was running over to him, a grin on his face. Craig let out a breathless laugh, doubling over with his hands on his knees. He let the baton drop from his hands as his teammates surrounded him, Craig pushing through to get to Tweek. He let out a soft laugh as the blonde tossed himself into Craig’s arms, Craig clutching at his back with one hand while his other arm wrapped around his thighs. He buried his face into Tweek’s chest, squeezing his eyes shut. _Ask him now_. Craig swallowed hard, panting into Tweek’s shirt still.

            “Tweek?” He choked out, pulling away to look him in the eyes.

            “Yeah?” Craig smiled a bit, letting out a breathless, nervous laugh.

            “Do you wanna go on a date Saturday?” Tweek blinked, grinning slowly.

            “Yeah! I-I mean…yes! Fuck! Yeah, absolutely!” He laughed, Craig grinning up at him as he tugged him back into a tight embrace. Nearby, Kyle couldn’t help the pang of jealousy. That used to be him. Craig used to look at him like that. Swallowing his pride, Kyle headed over to his bag, pushing his hair off his forehead.

            “Hey Kyle?” He blinked, turning around to see Heidi Turner standing there.

            “Yeah?” He asked, looking her up and down. She was nervous.

            “U-um…are-are you…doing anything Saturday?” Kyle blinked, blushing a bit (his face was already flushed, but he was so pale, the blush just made his face redder).

            “Oh! Uh…no. Why you ask?” She twirled a strand of hair around her finger. Frankly, it was adorable to Kyle.

            “Would-would you maybe want to, um, go to the annual Summer Kick-Off Carnival with-with me?” Kyle blinked, a small smile tugging at his lips. He always found Heidi cute (her cuteness increasing as she got older), but never thought she’d be interested in _him_. He swallowed hard, letting out a sheepish laugh.

            “Yeah,” He glanced over her shoulder to see Tweek and Craig again, but this time…the jealous sensation wasn’t as intense. He smiled a little wider at that, turning his gaze back to Heidi. “It’s a date.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ya bitch of course brought back the Rocky song. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Next chapter will be their date (with Kyle and Heidi mixed in ;) ya feel). I'm planning on making a playlist of all the songs mentioned in this fic (like I did for Falling with Grace), but that will probably come this weekend (midterms are among us, children). Thanks so much for reading, and as always, any and all feedback is appreciated!   
> Song:   
> Rocky OST-The Final Bell: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvvDj2fnKoQ


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I made a secondary twitter to post about my writing thoughts/South Park! Check it out! @craigorytucker on twitter!  
> https://twitter.com/craigorytucker

Tweek has never had this situation before. Okay, there was the time when he was little that he and this girl had a crush on the same guy, but Tweek knew the kid wasn’t gay. This was _different_. He sat alone in Craig’s room the day before their date (Craig was excited to show Tweek something after school, but he said he’d see around five o’clock) and he was staring at the picture that resides on Craig’s night stand. It wasn’t hard to find Kyle in the image, his red curls and bright grin making him stick out. That, and the fact he clung onto Craig for dear life. The contrast between the two was charming to Tweek, what with Craig and his dark hair and Kyle’s red locks, down to the colors they wore (orange and blue). Pluto made his way over to the bed, crawling up into Tweek’s lap. The blonde sighed, rubbing Pluto’s head.

            “What should I do? Their friendship is suffering because of me…,” Tweek murmured to Pluto, the octopus looking up at him. He reached a tentacle up, placing it lightly on Tweek’s cheek, the boy nuzzling lightly into it. “Thanks,” He whispered, continuing his train of thought. He couldn’t let this get swept under the rug. That would mean it festers and rots, getting worse as time goes on. Tweek didn’t want to be the reason Craig lost a best friend. That isn’t fair to either party involved. With a sigh of defeat, Tweek stood up, setting Pluto back in his tank. He rummaged through Craig’s desk drawer, trying to find anything that would indicate where Kyle lived. Finally, after a minute of searching, he found an old letter Kyle had written to Craig. Scanning the envelope, he wrote down the return address on a sticky note and ripped the blue paper off the pad, pocketing it as he tugged on his boots. Pluto poked his head out of the tank, watching him as his arms dangled over the edge. “I’ll be back, boy,” He kissed his head. “Behave!” With a turn on his heel, Tweek was stomping down the steps and out the door. He played with the key ring the Tucker’s gave him as he walked, using it as a fidget. He didn’t really know where he was going, but he vaguely remembers Craig saying Kyle lived relatively close. Tweek was pretty sure he was lost, but then he saw the street sign and sighed in relief as he found Kyle’s street. As he walked down the street, he mouthed the house numbers as he counted, stopping as he got to the correct house. Taking a minute to compose his thoughts and emotions, Tweek slowly walked up to the door, each step feeling heavier and harder to take. There was a doorbell and a knocker, a slight panic settling in. Should he ring the doorbell? What about the knocker? What if the knocker was just for show and he used it and he was shot when the door opened?! What if the knocker signifies something terrible?! Raising a hand to ring the doorbell, he froze, another thought crossing his mind. What if the doorbell is faulty and he gets electrocuted?! Who would find his body?! Kyle?! Shaking his head, he took a few deep breaths. _Breath, Tweek._ They were shaky breaths, but calming him nonetheless. He settled on simply knocking on the door, the wood cold against his knuckles. After a minute, a short, plump woman answered the door. Her hair was a wild red like Kyle’s and was pulled back with one big clip (how it held all that hair, Tweek wasn’t sure). She gave Tweek a quick look up and down before speaking.

            “May I help you?”

            “Is-uh-is Kyle here?” She leaned against the doorframe.

            “Depends on who’s asking.” Tweek swallowed hard. Why was she so _abrasive_?!

            “M-My name’s Tweek. We go to school together.”

            “I haven’t seen you around South Park before.” Tweek couldn’t quite pinpoint where she was from, her accent so distinct yet foreign to him.

            “I-I’m new! I moved here about a month ago.” He lied, forcing a smile. Well, it wasn’t quite a lie. He’s been staying with the Tucker’s for a little over a month now. She hummed, pushing up off the doorframe.

            “Come on in, kiddo.” She finally said, Tweek letting the breath go he realized he was holding as he shut the door behind him.

            “Thanks.” He said, following her to the living room.

            “Have a seat, kiddo, I’ll let him know you’re here,” Tweek nodded, looking around at all the décor. Simple, yet homey. He saw a weird looking candlestick (who needs to light eight candles all at once?) on the mantel, and next to that were school photos. He walked over to them, smiling a bit at Kyle’s and who he assumed was his brother’s (though they looked nothing alike). There were some cute pictures of them as kids hung up on the wall, Tweek laughing softly at an image that had Kyle and Cartman forcing grins at a birthday party. “Bubbie?! You have a lil’ visitor!” Tweek jumped a bit at the shrillness of Kyle’s mom’s voice, glancing over towards the steps where she stood, calling up.

            “Mom, I told you not to call me that when people are over!”

            “Bubbie, I don’t listen to that rule, alright?! Should I send him up?!” There was a moment of silence.

            “Yeah, sure!” Kyle’s mom looked at Tweek, nodding her head towards the steps.

            “His door is the last one on the right. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.”

            “T-Thank you, Mrs. Broflovski.”

            “Sheila, kiddo.” She smiled a bit at him, Tweek letting the tension in his shoulders release. With his muscles finally relaxed, Tweek took the steps one at a time, counting each step he took. Once at the top, he took a deep breath before continuing his journey to Kyle’s room. He got to the last door on the right, pausing a moment before knocking lightly on it.

            “Yeah, come in.” _Here we go_. The knob felt heavy in his hands as he turned it, pushing the door open. Kyle was hunched over at his desk, a hand tangled into his curls as he punched some numbers into a calculator that rested on his textbook. Shutting the door behind him, Tweek leaned against it, enjoying the support of the sturdy wooden door.

            “Hey Kyle.” He hated how tense the boy got when he heard his voice. He hated the way his shoulders somehow dropped despite being so tense. But Tweek really hated how he never looked at him.

            “Oh…it’s you.” Tweek swallowed hard, trying not to let the words sting him.

            “Y-Yeah…listen I just-”

            “Look, if you’re here to tell me to get over Craig, save it. I’m working on it, alright?”

            “I-I’m here to actually offer help in that, actually.” Okay, so he must’ve said something right. Kyle stopped doing his homework, glancing slightly over his shoulder at him.

            “Why? So you can have him all to yourself now? You just waltz into our lives and you somehow manage to win his heart over in a month when I couldn’t seem to do it in eight?!” Tweek flinched at the bite in his voice, swallowing the lump in his throat. So, maybe he didn’t say the right thing, but he at least has Kyle’s attention now (despite it being negative).

            “I just…know you know about our date,” He watched Kyle’s face twist up. “And…I just wanted to make sure you’re okay.”

            “I’m peachy keen. Now can you go? I have a fuck ton of calculus to do.” Tweek sighed.

            “Kyle, please? D-Do you know how hard it was for me to come over here and face you?” Kyle stopped writing, Tweek jumping as the pencil in his hand cracked under the force of his grip. With a quick push of his legs, he swiveled the chair around, lunging across the room at Tweek. He didn’t hit him, just pinned him against the door, both green eyed boys just staring at each other. Tweek’s were wide with fear and Kyle’s were dark with anger. The only sound in the room was their breathing. Finally, after what felt like ages to Tweek, Kyle spoke.

            “Do you know how hard it is to love someone and know they’ll never love you back? Even after you _gave them your virginity_ and eight months of your time? Do you know how hard it is to watch him get over you so easily? Even after he kissed me not even a week after meeting you? I thought he was _interested_ in me again! No! He was just fucking _lonely_ because he couldn’t get to _you_! All he _wanted_ was you! Whenever he called me during that time it was just to distract himself from thinking about _you_! All he _wants_ now is _you_! Do you know how hard it is to watch the guy you thought still cared about you admit to _using_ you to distract himself?! It _fucking sucks_! And the worst part of it all is that I hate that _I **don’t** hate you!” _ Hot tears fell down Kyle’s freckled cheeks as sobs started wracking his body, Tweek’s heart twisting in his chest. He had no idea Craig had been seeing Kyle during the first month of them flirting and seeing each other. As much as he adores Craig, he’s angry at him for that. Kyle doesn’t deserve that. He doesn’t deserved to be used. Kyle let his wrists go, angrily rubbing at his eyes with the palms of his hands. “ _F-fuck_ , ‘m sorry.” He choked out, sniffling as he wiped his nose with his sleeve. Tweek reached a hand up, placing it gently against his cheek. He wanted to offer comfort, but he wasn’t sure how he could comfort him. Kyle was clearly trying to get over Craig, but Craig got his hopes up and let them crash. Sliding his hand down around his neck, Tweek tugged Kyle into a tight embrace, the red head happily accepting it, burying his face into Tweek’s shoulder (even though he was much taller than Tweek). They just stood there for a moment, holding onto each other and searching for comfort. Rubbing small circles into Kyle’s back, Tweek closed his eyes, trying to find the right words to say.

            “No one said it would be easy,” He whispered finally, feeling Kyle’s muscles relax under his hand. “I-I foolishly let my feelings get in the way of my safety…hell, that’s how I ended up in that fucking aquarium.” Kyle let out a soft laugh, sniffling.

            “C-Craig beat the shit out of that guy.” Tweek blinked, pulling away to look at Kyle’s face. They still held onto each other, the feeling of the other boy under their hands calming for some odd reason.

            “He-he did?”

            “Yeah. I don’t think Craig even really knew what he said about you. He just reacted so violently. I think he read your name on his lips and put two and two together.” Tweek nodded slowly, chewing on his bottom lip a bit.

            “Kyle…I-I didn’t know he was calling you. I really didn’t, and I’m sorry Craig did that to you. If…I-I don’t have to go on the date.” Kyle’s eyes widened a bit.

            “Tweek, you don’t have to cancel the date! Hell…as crazy as it is…I also have a date tomorrow.” Tweek blinked.

            “Who with?! If-if you don’t mind me asking.” Kyle blushed a bit, Tweek noting how flustered he suddenly became.

            “Uh, Heidi Turner! You, um, met her right?” Tweek smiled a bit, nodding.

            “She’s a sweet girl.”

            “Y-Yeah…did y’know she was Craig’s first kiss?” Tweek snorted.

            “I do now,” They both let out a soft laugh, the tension and anger flowing out of the slightly cracked window in the room. A comfortable silence fell between them, Tweek letting his head drop against Kyle’s chest. “Craig let a real catch go.” Kyle blushed, glad Tweek couldn’t see it.

            “He did, didn’t he?” Tweek chuckled a bit against his chest.

            “If it makes you feel any better, he _literally caught me_.” Kyle let out a laugh, burying his face into Tweek’s hair, sighing a bit as his laughter settled.

            “You’re good for him,” He glanced over at the pictures on his desk, smiling a bit as he found the one he was looking for. It was a polaroid of Craig and him, both shirtless with messy hair. It was after their first time together, faces flushed red but with grins so wide Kyle thought their faces were going to split in two. He turned his gaze back down at the blonde wrapped in his arms, and for once, he felt fine. Kyle was finally okay with Craig moving on. For once, Kyle was glad he moved on to the boy currently in his room. “You bring something out in him that I haven’t seen for a long time…and I can’t thank you enough for that.”

* * *

Tweek spent about an hour at Kyle’s after their initial conversation, the red head giving him tips on things that drove Craig mad. Tweek nodded along, taking mental notes for when he needs help picking an outfit tomorrow. As he left the Broflovski’s house, the walk home felt rejuvenating. He felt good, content, excited. Tweek couldn’t wait for his date tomorrow, especially now that he cleared the air with Kyle. It was hard, but it was most definitely necessary and the right thing to do. Racing up the front steps of the Tucker household, he shoved the key into the lock, but before he twisted the key, he noticed a sticky note on the door. He grabbed it, Craig’s scribbly hand writing on it.

            _Got called into work. Ask Wendy to take you. Or walk. It’s the diner in the center of town. I can show you what I wanted to show you there. -Craig xo_

Tweek blinked at the two letters signed after his name, brows furrowed as he pocketed the keys and started walking. What did they mean? He spent his entire walk to the diner contemplating what they meant. Maybe the _x_ was a warning for danger?! Is Craig warning him?! Tangling a hand into his hair, Tweek gave it a gentle tug as he looked around at his surroundings, waiting for someone to jump out at him. But what about the _o_?! Was that a warning, too?! Or did it stand for _okay_ or _open_ or _ohmygodyouneedtorun_?! With a soft whine and tug of his curls, Tweek stumbled into the diner, Bebe looking up. She grinned when she saw it was Tweek.

            “Hey handsome!”

            “Bebe!” He slammed the note on the counter, pointing at the two letters. “What-what is this?! What _does it mean_?!” He screeched, hands going back to his hair. Bebe giggled softly, grabbing his wrists and patting his hands.

            “Shh, sweetie, calm down! It means hugs and kisses!” Tweek blinked, his cheeks flushed.

            “ _What?!_ ”

            “Hugs,” Bebe crossed her arms over her chest, making an _x_ shape. “Kisses!” She puckered her lips, moving her finger around them to show the _o_ shape. Tweek opened his mouth, snapping it back shut as he grunted a bit, letting out a shaky huff of breath.

            “Oh…” He choked out, sitting down at the counter and burying his face into the crook of his arms, groaning. Bebe grinned a bit, Craig walking out of the kitchen. He blinked, noticing Tweek there.

            “Is he…?”

            “He didn’t know what the _xo_ meant on your note.” She explained, Craig snorting.

            “Tweek?” The blonde boy groaned as a response, Craig walking behind the counter and standing in front of Tweek. He leaned his head down, smiling a bit. “Tweek, look at me.” Tweek sighed, lifting his head up slowly. He blinked when Craig’s smile got into view, his hands shooting out and grabbing his jaw. Craig yelped a bit as Tweek pulled his bottom lip down, eyes wide.

            “Where’s the metal?! Where did it go?!” Craig grinned, grabbing Tweek’s wrist so his lip was let go. He laughed, showing off his teeth.

            “I got my braces off!” Tweek knelt on the stool, palms planted on the counter as he leaned across and studied his teeth.

            “They just…disappeared?”

            “No,” He chuckled. “They have to do this weird process that takes a while.” Tweek nodded, eyes full of curiosity.

            “Now what?”

            “What do you mean?” Craig chuckled.

            “Well, do they just… _stay_ like that?”

            “Yeah! I have to wear this thing called a retainer. That’s what this wire across my top teeth are. I have to wear this every day for a few weeks, but after that time, I only need to wear it at night when I sleep. I have this bar across the back of my bottom teeth forever, though. They’re more susceptible to shift back, so they glued this bar there to keep them in place.” Tweek’s eyes widened.

            “ _Glued?!”_ Craig smiled a bit.

            “My braces were glued on, Tweek. How did you think they stayed?” The blonde grumbled a bit.

            “I-I don’t _know_! Magic?!” He screeched, hands going to his hair. Craig smiled softly, grabbing his hands.

            “Hey-hey I’m teasing you,” He placed a light kiss to his knuckles. “Relax, Tweek.” If it took Tweek having a minor panic attack for Craig to comfort him with kisses, he’d have them all the time. Okay, that’s a lie. Tweek hates his panic attacks, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t want Craig to comfort him with soft kisses. Those soft kisses could turn to harder kisses, which leads to kisses down the jaw, then the neck, and maybe even onto his chest. Maybe then he’d keep going, lower and lower until he was at his thighs. He could practically feel Craig’s hands on him, roaming and curious. He imagined Craig’s blue eyes peering up at him, dark and full of lust as he grinned up at him with _that damn prefect smile._ Tweek let out a yell of surprise as he felt a wave of warmth flood through him, his hands flying to his face as he tried to hide his embarrassment.

            “ _Agh_! Bebe can I talk to you?!” He grabbed her wrist and rushed to the bathroom, locking the door behind them. Craig blinked, pursing his lips and shrugging a bit as he went to clear some tables. Meanwhile, Bebe watched the blonde squat down, rocking on his feet as he hugged his knees to his chest.

            “What has gotten into you this week?” She practically purred, knowing full well why Tweek pulled her in here.

            “I don’t know! He- _fuck_ -I talked to Kyle today.” Bebe blinked.

            “Whoa, wait, you _what_?” She hissed, squatting down in front of Tweek.

            “I-I wanted to clear the air. Make sure I wouldn’t ruin his friendship with Craig,” Tweek ran his fingers into his hair, keeping them there. The weight of his hands on his head reminded him of being in the water. “T-That went well. Lots of yelling at first, but-but fine! He even gave me tips on how to drive Craig…mad? That’s the word he used. Is that good?” Bebe snorted.

            “Yes, it’s good. It doesn’t sound good, but it is,” Bebe placed her hand on his knee, running her thumb over it gently. “Tweek, it’s okay to feel these feelings.” He shook his head, the air thick in his chest every time he inhaled. Why was this so hard to _explain_?!

            “I…no, n-not now it isn’t…” She furrowed her brows.

            “Okay, now I get to ask the questions. What the fuck does _that_ mean?” Tweek whined low in his throat, shifting as the warmth was becoming uncomfortable.

            “I… _fuck_!” He shot up, pacing back and forth for a moment. Finally mustering up the words, he looked at Bebe with wide eyes. “ _I can’t have sex with him until we get back to the ocean because I have to have sex with Craig in the waters in which we met in order to get my tail back!_ ” He didn’t mean to word vomit on Bebe, but he couldn’t help it. He yelled in frustration, wiggling a bit in his jeans. “Why are my pants so _fucking tight_?!” He squawked, tugging on the fabric of his jeans. Bebe tried not to gaze down, her mind reeling.

            “Okay so…you can’t have sex with Craig because…you have to have sex in the waters in which you met…in order to get your…tail back?”

            “Yes!”

            “I thought you met at the aquarium…?” Tweek blushed, shaking his head as he let out a sigh.

            “No…when…I was younger…I would swim near the shore to watch people. I was so curious about life on land. I was swimming back home one day when I saw a boat on the surface, but there was a hand in the water. I started following the boat out of curiosity, and then I heard a lot of yelling and someone fell in the water. It…it was Craig. His head was hit by the mast of the sails and he didn’t hear his family yelling to watch out. I…helped him to the surface and that…was the last time I saw him. Until now, obviously,” He swallowed hard, the warmth slowly fading away as he talked about the past. “I want him. I do. But…I don’t know how to explain all of this to him.” Bebe leaned against the door, thinking a moment as she tried to comprehend the story.

            “Craig’s a pretty understanding guy…most of the time,” Tweek looked up at her. “I would say to only bring it up if you think things might go down that path. Or even if you two are just sitting together and you have the time to explain everything. I don’t really know, sweetie. But just know I think _you_ should feel comfortable enough talking to him about it first. I know that must be hard and weird to explain, but just know he _really cares_ about you, Tweek.” Her voice was a whisper at this point, Tweek looking at himself in the mirror. He swallowed hard, closing his eyes as he let out a shaky breath.

            “What if he doesn’t want that with me?” He croaked, looking at himself in the mirror. He looked like a mess: wild blonde curls, bags under his eyes, finger nail polish chipping, face pale and splotchy from embarrassment. “Is this…how he sees me?” He whispered, Bebe swearing his pointed ears drooped a bit.

            “Tweek,” She stood behind him in the mirror, hands on his hips. “Craig doesn’t put this much effort into caring for anyone. I used to think he was a psychopath since he never cared or had interest in anything. He’s been alone in his thoughts for so long now. Ever since he lost all his hearing, he’s seemed to have gotten more reserved. I remember at a party freshman year he kept mumbling in a drunken state that he needed to _feel something_. You saw the scar along the palm of his hand, yeah?” Tweek nodded. “I… _fuck_ , I’ll never forget this night. He just…took a knife and sliced his hand open. He…didn’t flinch at all. I remember Clyde vomited. Wendy and I rushed him to the fucking hospital because he was just… _bleeding_ and didn’t care!” Tweek’s eyes were wide as he looked at her in the mirror.

            “He…did that?”

            “Absolutely he did. I felt terrified in a way. They always talk about how kids like that are the ones to look out for. The ones that do bad things like bring a gun to school. But Craig…he wasn’t bad…he was just… _alone_. I couldn’t imagine being so disconnected from the world like he is. He’s apart of society but…barely. He moves with us and does every day things, but he never hears any of it. All he hears is silence. His own thoughts. I remember he skipped school a lot that year, too. He was depressed. _Really depressed_ ,” She smiled a bit at Tweek. “But…this is a Craig none of us had seen in a long time. He’s showing emotions I didn’t know he had. Ever since his break up with Kyle he went back into that shell of his. You’re bringing him back out, and he doesn’t do that with just anyone,” She kissed his cheek. “Don’t think so poorly of yourself. Craig Tucker doesn’t smile so easily around just anyone.” Tweek’s chest felt tight. It felt almost wrong being told all of this by Bebe, thinking that Craig should’ve been the one to tell him. However, he was glad Bebe told him. He was glad he didn’t make a mistake in giving up his tail. He was glad he was helping Craig without even knowing it. He gave Bebe a hug, thanking her before they both walked back into the diner. Craig was leaning against the window outside, scrolling on his phone as he smoked a cigarette. Tweek felt his heart leap to his throat, smiling a bit as the gentle glow from the tip of Craig’s cigarette lit up his face as he turned to put it out after one last inhale, exhaling as he shoved the cigarette into the top of a trashcan that had an ashtray on top. Craig caught sight of him as he pocketed his phone, smiling a bit at him. _Yeah_ , Tweek thought as he grinned slowly. _You get to go on a date with this guy_.

* * *

 

They didn’t leave for their date until seven pm the next day, Tweek spending most of the day in Tricia’s room. She helped him look his best, even helping him tame his curls. He was impressed that she managed to make him look like a normal person (despite his ears and nails, but she even painted his nails orange in color to contrast the white shirt he wore). It was a simple outfit: black jeans, white button up t-shirt, red converse, and his favorite black boater hat to hide his ears. Craig was clearly taken aback when he walked downstairs, his cheeks dusted red, Tweek noticed, as they walked out the door to his car. Craig looked so good. So put together. Tweek was _swooning_ , but tried not to make it obvious. He glanced at him from time to time, admiring the way the maroon polo hugged his curves, and the way his jeans shaped his legs just right. Tweek turned away, swallowing the lump of nerves in his throat. Why was he so nervous? It’s not like he hasn’t kissed Craig before or he’s never seen him shirtless, but there was something different about tonight. As they got closer to their destination, some song by a band called The Clash playing softly (“Listen, Clyde and I ruled at _Should I Stay or Should I Go_ on Rockband growing up” Craig told him), he realized why it was different: _Tweek has never gone on a date before_. There was nowhere to go in the ocean! Sure, they had their little shops and eateries, but mermaids typically didn’t go on dates. Bright lights met Tweek’s eyes as they turned, the blonde leaning forward to look out the windshield with wide eyes. _A carnival_. Tweek knew about these. There was always one on the piers, and seeing the carnival made him miss home momentarily. He turned his attention to Craig as the car stopped, noticing that his cheeks were pink.

            “I, uh, hope this is cool. I-I remember you talking about the carnival on the pier.” Tweek grinned at that. Not because Craig thought of this, but because Craig remembered something Tweek said in a brief conversation weeks ago. He nodded, giving his hand a light squeeze.

            “I’m glad you brought me here,” He turned his attention to the carnival outside the car. “It reminds me of home.” Craig smiled a bit, grabbing his phone and wallet.

            “Come on.” They got out of the car, Tweek taken aback by the sounds. It was so colorful, so fun, so homey. He rushed up to join Craig’s side, the taller boy grabbing his hand as they walked. Once they were inside, Tweek asked questions about everything, as per usual. Craig never minded. He liked teaching Tweek about everyday things. Growing up, Craig was always the one needing help. He always needed help taking notes in class, asking people to repeat themselves, needing the closed captions on. He didn’t need help when he was with Tweek. It felt nice, if he was being honest. He didn’t feel like a burden for once.

            “What’s this?” Tweek asked, stopping in front of a dunk tank. Craig smirked, seeing a miserable looking Eric Cartman sitting on the platform.

            “This,” He stood behind Tweek, a grin on his face. Tweek noticed he didn’t wear his retainer for the date. “Is called a dunk tank. You have three chances to throw the baseballs at the target. If you hit it, Cartman goes in the water.” Tweek grinned slowly, rushing up to grab the baseballs. Craig passed the attendant a dollar, standing back and noting how excited Tweek looked.

            “How do I throw it?” Tweek asked, Cartman noticing them.

            “Ey! Don’t hit the target!”

            “Cool it, Cartman!” Craig shouted, walking up behind Tweek again. “Here,” He took one of the baseballs, planting his feet in the ground. “Focus on the target, making sure to keep your eyes on it. Pull your arm back,” He mimicked the motion. “And when you swing your arm forward,” He stopped when it got by his head. “Let it go after it passes your head. That’s what my dad taught me when I was younger.” Tweek nodded, planting his feet and going through the steps mentally. Tossing his first ball, he watched it hit the upper corner, but it still hit the tarp, which Tweek thought was an accomplishment. The second ball landed right above the target, Cartman jumping.

            “Don’t hit the target! I just fucking told you!” He yelled, Tweek giving him a look. He watched the third ball go sailing, landing on the target, but Eric didn’t fall. Tweek frowned.

            “What the hell?!” Craig smirked a bit, ignoring Eric’s laughing. He ran up, pushing his weight onto the target and watched as Eric’s limbs flailed as the seat below him went falling. It was all worth it as he heard Tweek’s laughter hit his ears. He rushed back over to Tweek, grabbing his hand as they rushed off.

            “Ey! No fair, Tucker!” Cartman yelled as he surfaced, Tweek laughing as they rushed off. Once they came to a stop, Craig glanced down at Tweek, noticing the grin permanently spread on his face.    

            “I hit the target, though! I managed to hit it! Did you see that?!” Tweek said, grabbing two fistfuls of Craig’s shirt. The dark haired boy grinned, nodding.

            “I did! I’m quite impressed, Tweek.” The blonde practically squealed, grabbing Craig’s hand as he took the lead. They wandered through the carnival grounds for a while, Tweek stopping when they came to a booth that ha bebe guns set up.

            “What’s this?”

            “This? Okay, so we take the bebe guns and we have to shoot out all of the little red star. If we do, we get a prize.” Tweek gasped, looking up at the racks of prizes.

            “Can we try it?!” Craig smirked a bit.

            “Care to place a bet?” Tweek blinked.

            “What kind of bet?”

            “If I win,” Craig thought a moment, clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth as he did. “I get to take you out again next weekend.” Tweek grinned.

            “And if I win?” Craig thought a moment.

            “I’ll do anything you want me to do. And I mean anything, not limited to this carnival. I’ll cook you food, skip school to hang out with you, take you shopping. Whatever you want.” Tweek grinned slowly.

            “Deal!” Craig passed the guy five bucks, knowing that win or lose, he was still a winner. He taught Tweek how to aim and shoot, the blonde squeezing one eye shut as he started shooting at the little red star. Craig took a moment to watch him, the concentration on his face adorable. Chuckling, he turned his attention to his own red star, lowering his head to gaze down the barrel. As their guns ran out, the attendant smirked, tugging both their papers off the clips.

            “Tall, dark and handsome here cleared his star.” Tweek whined, punching Craig’s arm as he laughed.

            “No fair!” Craig grabbed a stuffed bear off the rack, passing it over to Tweek.

            “Quit your complaining, you get this bear and another date.” Tweek smiled, hugging the bear to his chest. It was soft, much like the sheets of Craig’s bed. It was calming. Wrapping an arm around Tweek’s waist, Craig led him over in the direction of the Ferris wheel, both boys standing in the line and talking amongst themselves. Craig’s back was towards the exit, but Tweek saw a familiar head of red curls exiting the ride with Heidi at his side. Tweek met his gaze, smiling softly at him. He noticed his lips were red and swollen, Heidi’s light pink lipstick smeared slightly. Kyle smirked at him a bit, giving him a small wave before turning in the other direction with his arm over Heidi’s shoulders. They were only in line for a few more minutes after that, Tweek plopping down in the seat. Once they were securely in, he peered over the edge of the seat as the ride started moving, a grin on his face as the ground got smaller beneath him. He’s conquered land and sea, now he’s moving onto the sky.

            “Craig, look! Everyone is so tiny! Is this what life is like in the sky? When you’re in an airplane, does everything look so small?! Oh! There’s Stan and Wendy! They’re walking over there!” He pointed towards the entrance, both of them waiting in line for food. “They look so small from up here, don’tcha th-” Turning to face Craig, he froze, his tongue suddenly feeling dry and heavy in his mouth. Craig was leaning his arm against the side of the seat, cheek leaning against the palm of his hand. He had a stupid, dopy smirk on his face as he just _stared_ at Tweek, eyes half lidded. He felt frozen, the Ferris wheel stopping, the momentum causing the seat to swing slightly. They were at the top, the noise of the carnival below them a distant murmur to Tweek now. He held onto the bear in his lap a little tighter, face heating up as Craig put his other arm on the back of the seat, hand resting on Tweek’s shoulder, gently tugging him closer. Tweek happily obliged, their sides pressing together now. The heat and scent of Craig was intoxicating, Tweek’s head swimming as he tried to focus on Craig’s face. He reached out, hand resting on the side of his throat. He let his thumb wander lightly over Craig’s Adam’s apple, feeling it bob under his touch as he swallowed hard.

            “Do you know how hard it’s been trying not to kiss you any chance I get?” Craig finally whispered, his voice gruff and sending shivers down Tweek’s spine.

            “Why…why didn’t you kiss me?” He whispered, looking up at Craig, eyes darting to his lips. He watched his tongue dart out, licking those pretty pink lips of his.

            “Because I know we don’t have a lot of time together and I want each and every one to mean something.” He breathed out, closing the distance and pressing their lips together. Tweek’s lips tingled at the contact, his eyes fluttering shut as he gripped at Craig’s shirt. That warmth that’s been causing so many issues this week returned, but for once he welcomed it, pressing himself closer. _God_ , the things he’s been dying to try with Craig. Bebe, Wendy, and Heidi have been telling him so many exciting things about sex, so many exciting things one could do with another person, so many exciting things he gets to do with _Craig_. As the Ferris wheel groaned back to life, neither made an effort to pull away, Tweek’s hand that was gripping Craig’s shirt sliding into his hair. Soft. Everything about Craig Tucker was soft he’s come to realize: his skin, hair, lips, sheets, shirts, hands, tongue. _Oh_. Yeah, that was definitely Craig’s tongue licking at his lips. Parting his lips enough for Craig, he actually _whimpered_ when he felt his tongue meet his. Why was Craig so _good_ at making him fall apart? How long were they kissing? Too wrapped up in the feeling of Craig’s tongue in his mouth, he hadn’t realized they went around three more times, coming to a stop. Jumping away from one another as the ride operator kicked the side of the seat, they turned to look at her with flushed faces and plump lips, the girl grimacing.

            “Okay, come on.” She grumbled, tugging the bar up. Tweek hopped out, Craig nodding his head to her as they left, both trying not to grin like stupid idiots. _No_. They weren’t stupid. They were happy. Yeah! Hugging the bear up to his face, Tweek grinned into it, giggling a bit. They wandered around for a little while longer, Craig introducing Tweek to the delicacies that are funnel cakes and cotton candy and slushies. Everything was so sickly sweet, but Tweek _loved_ it. Walking back out to Craig’s car, the taller boy whipped around, holding a finger up.

            “Wait! Don’t get in the car yet. Hold on,” He got in the car, turning it on, but Tweek watched in awe as the top of the car started going down. Craig was grinning at him after the top disappeared, the look on Tweek’s face making his heart sore. “She’s old, but she has her perks.”

            “And we…drive with no top?”

            “Yup. It’s called a convertible. They’re sick as shit and it’s perfect for a warmer night like tonight.” Tweek grinned, getting in the car and tossing his hat on the floor, the bear in his lap as he got buckled.

            “Where are we going?” Craig smirked a bit, pulling out of the parking lot.

            “It’s a surprise.”

* * *

 

They stopped by Craig’s house to pick up a bottle of tequila first, heading back out to the car. After that, they drove for a half an hour, but Tweek didn’t care. He had been sipping at the alcohol on their car ride, offering it to Craig every now and then (he always turned it down, saying he can’t drink and drive).  There was one point where they were on a long stretch of road, the tequila coursing through Tweek’s blood stream. A grin on his face, he unbuckled his seatbelt, standing up. Craig laughed, glancing up at him as Tweek laughed and held his arms up in the air, the wind refreshing to his warm face. Craig cursed under his breath, tugging Tweek back down with a laugh.

            “There’s a fucking cop!” He hissed, Tweek laughing as he turned in his seat to face Craig.

            “Have you ever done that?! It’s amazing!” Tweek tried to stand back up, Craig pushing him back down with a snort.

            “Wait a few minutes, dude! The cop is still back there!” He laughed, Tweek grinning at him. He took a quick swig of the tequila, Craig grabbing it from him. “Nope, you’re being cut off for a bit,” Tweek whined, Craig tucking the bottle in the side door. “And buckle back up, dingus.” He reached across, grabbing the seat belt and buckling it back up. Tweek put his feet up on the dashboard, tilting his head back and watching the stars rush past. They looked like streaks of white paint in the night sky at the speed they were traveling.

            “You’re cute when you’re bossy.” Tweek giggled, keeping his gaze on the stars. Craig smirked, glancing at him as he turned up a hill.

            “You’re just saying that because you’re borderline drunk. You really can’t hold your alcohol.”

            “Cause I’ve never had it!” Tweek yelled, Craig slamming a hand over the blonde’s mouth as he laughed.

            “Christ, I’m deaf and you just blew what was left of my hearing away.” He snorted, Tweek giggling under his hand. Grimacing, Craig tugged his hand away as they came to a stop, Tweek licking at his hand.

            “Gotcha!” Craig wiped his hand on his pants, turning the car off with a soft laugh.

            “Yeah, real prankster you are,” he teased, unbuckling. “We’re here.” Tweek looked around, furrowing his brows.

            “Where?”

            “Look ahead.” Turning, Tweek blinked, unbuckling and standing up slowly in the car. Resting his arms on the top of the windshield, he leaned his head on top of his arms, staring out at the town of South Park. The lights were faint and it made it look like they were aliens, looking in from outer space. It was quiet. It was peaceful. And Tweek suddenly became very aware that he was alone in the woods with Craig on a cliff side. The warmth rushed through him faster than it ever has, stumbling back down into his seat. Shaky hands reached up to unbutton a few buttons, sighing as the breeze hit his chest. Craig licked his lips, climbing in the back seat. Tweek blinked, looking at him.

            “What are you-”

            “Come on,” He held the tequila bottle up, taking a swig. “I already texted Token and Stan about picking us up possibly.”

            “What about your car?”

            “Knowing Stan, he’ll drive us back. He loves this car.” Tweek hummed, climbing in the back seat after contemplating the option for amoment. It was a bit of a tight squeeze, but they managed. Tweek laid his head on Craig’s shoulder, body twisted so he propped his legs up on the door of the car, feet dangling over the side. They silently passed the tequila between the two of them, the sound of it sloshing with each pass the only noise hitting their ears. It wasn’t an awkward silence, but more of a comfortable one. They just stared out at the town, occasionally glancing up at the stars. Tweek hummed, pointing at a constellation.

            “What’s that?” he slurred, head sliding into Craig’s lap. The other boy swallowed hard, setting the almost empty bottle in the front seat. Clearing his throat, he looked up, trying to focus on the stars and _not_ Tweek’s head so _dangerously_ _close to his dick_.

            “That’s, um, Pisces,” He hiccupped, head spinning as he tried to remain focused. “It’s-it’s your astrological sign, actually. Since-since you’re born in s’March.” He mumbled, tongue heavy in his mouth. Tweek hummed, the warmth radiating off of Craig comforting.

            “What’s your sign?” Tweek murmured, eyes half lidded as he looked at Craig.

            “Scorpio.” Tweek hummed.

            “Water sign.” He sat up in Craig’s lap, turning so he looked at him after sitting on his knees. Craig snorted.

            “Ironic.” He murmured, eyes roaming over Tweek. Of course he noticed it, his eyes doing the same to Craig. _Oh_. His eyes landed on his pants, noticing they were tented a bit. Was Craig “turned on” by him (as Eric explained to him the other day)?

            “U-um,” Any and all confidence Tweek had was fading quickly, suddenly not knowing what to do now. He thought back to what Kyle told him yesterday about things that drove Craig mad. He thought back to the sex ed lessons the girls gave him. Okay, so some of the confidence started coming back as he recalled the information he’s been given. “What are you thinking about?” He whispered, leaning forward a bit. The skin of Craig’s neck was warm as he kissed it, his pulse thrumming rapidly under Tweek’s lips. He heard Craig _whine_ and he knew he had to keep going. He kept placing light kisses there, settling himself gently onto his lap with a knee on either side of him. Craig’s arms twitched at his sides, clearly trying to decide where he wanted to put them. Tweek grabbed his wrists, guiding his hands to his waist, Craig tugging the tucked shirt out of the waistband of his pants.

            “You.” Craig breathed out, eyes locking with Tweek’s as the blonde pulled away to look at his face.

            “Why?”

            “I literally thought you were a dream for eight years and now you’re in my lap kissing my neck.” He was fumbling over his words, the combination of hormones and alcohol turning him into a bumbling mess. Tweek loved it. _Hips_. Wendy and Bebe mentioned something about hips. Friction. Before he moved, however, Tweek realized he _still hadn’t told Craig about the entire tail situation._ Biting his lip, he swallowed hard.

            “We can’t have sex.” Craig blinked.

            “Why? I-I mean, that’s fine, but I’m-”

            “No, believe me, I-” He let out a shaky breath “I _want to_. We just… _can’t_. Not until we get to the ocean.” Craig furrowed his brows.

            “…Tweek, why?” God, why did he do this now?! He’s totally killing the mood! With a whine, Tweek buried his face into his hands, dragging them down his face.

            “Because I can’t get my tail back unless we _consummate_ our love in the waters in which we met!” He finally blurted out, avoiding Craig’s gaze. Silence, followed by more silence, and then even more silence. It was _brutal_. Tweek finally mustered up the strength to look at Craig, but he didn’t look mad. He looked…understanding.

            “Okay.” He finally whispered, smiling a bit at Tweek. _Fuck_ , why did he have to smile?

            “Okay?” He repeated. Craig nodded.

            “Yeah. I wouldn’t want to jeopardize the chances of you getting your tail back. That’s okay. I’m okay with waiting, especially if it’s you.” That was the breaking point for Tweek. All his confidence was back, and he felt like he was in heaven. Hearing those words made the warmth fill his entire body, his hands grabbing Craig’s shoulders. He shoved him down onto the car seat, Craig’s long legs dangling over the side. He managed to surprise the taller boy, Tweek laying on top of him and pressing their lips together. There was a need to it. It was hungry. Rough. _Exhilarating_. Tugging at the bottom of Craig’s shirt, he pulled it up and over the boy’s head, whining low in his throat as his chest was exposed. He’s only been allowed to stare for a _month_ , but now, now was different. He could do _anything_ he wanted. Placing his hands on Craig’s chest, he noticed the extreme difference in skin tones, Tweek’s ivory skin resting pretty against Craig’s olive skin. It was perfect. He started kissing at his neck again, enjoying the noises the boy made underneath of him. _Nipples_. Kyle mentioned something about his nipples. Moving down his chest, he licked lightly at one, a loud _thud_ echoing through the woods. Craig kicked the side of the car, groaning as a response.

            “You okay?” Tweek whispered against his skin, looking up at him. Craig nodded, eyes half lidded as he watched the blonde on top of him.

            “Y-Yeah. Yeah,” He practically growled, the sound resonating deep within Tweek. The warmth was now focused low in his stomach, but he didn’t care. It felt _good_ now. _Friction_. Okay, so now would be a good time to try moving his hips. Tweek moved back up to kiss Craig, his hips rolling forward slightly. He assumed it was _real good_ considering Craig’s reaction. “ _Mother fu_ - _nngh!_ ” Tweek was going to explode. He _loved this_. He loved being the reason Craig, _his Craig_ , fell apart beneath him.

            “We can do other things besides sex,” He whispered, eyes wide as Craig looked at him. “I don’t-they never said anything a-about other forms of sex. Like-like _oral_.” Craig swallowed hard, his mouth dry as he nodded dumbly. Christ, he’d do anything at this point to get himself off. It’s been _so long_ since a boy had touched him, and he really needed this release. Tweek could see the eagerness in his eyes as Craig sat up against the side of the car door, Tweek humming a bit as he noticed Craig’s erection. _Christ, Bebe was right_. _It is hot when a guy is turned on because of you_. Leaning forward with another surge of confidence, he pressed his lips lightly against the fabric of his jeans, enjoying the way Craig squirmed underneath the touch. Slowly unbuttoning his jeans, Tweek started to pull them down, but Craig suddenly grabbed his wrist when Tweek tugged at the waistband of his boxers. 

            “T-Tweek you- _fuck_ -you don’t have to do this if you-” He was cut off by the sight of Tweek using his teeth to tug his boxers down, eyes locked with his as his hands were still held still by Craig’s. The sight was simultaneously the most attractive and terrifying thing he had ever seen. _Craig loved it_. “ _Shit_ ,” He breathed out, head falling back against the edge of the car. Tweek took a moment to just _stare_. His mind had been filling in the blanks of what Craig looked like naked for a month now, so he _really_ wanted to memorize this. He was _gorgeous_. Tweek never knew how much he really _loved boys_ until right now. Well, not all boys. Just Craig. He heard Bebe’s voice in his head, urging him to tease him first. Then he heard Kyle’s voice, telling him how much Craig loves the vein on his dick licked. Starting there, Tweek slowly licked the vein running up the underside, Craig audibly gasping in surprise. Tweek smiled at that, loving how Craig’s legs squirmed and kicked. He loved having this kind of power. After feeling powerless in that tank for nearly a month, it was about time he felt in control of the choices he made. Taking his time, he continued to lick at the vein, slowly swirling his tongue around the tip of his cock. “Tweek-you- _nggh_ -holy _shit_ -have you d-done this?” He croaked out, immediately missing the warmth of Tweek’s tongue as he pulled away.

            “No,” He whispered, placing a gentle kiss to the tip of his dick. “The girls taught me everything.”

            “Wait, they did wh- _shit_ ,” Craig gasped as Tweek wrapped his lips around his cock, head tossed back as he groaned. Adjusting to the weight in his mouth, Tweek slowly started moving his head, his heart racing in his chest and his pants _uncomfortably tight_. Reaching down, he unbuttoned his own pants, sighing around Craig’s dick as the constriction was no more. He didn’t want to rush this, slowly sucking lower and lower with each bob of his head. “B-Babe, you- _fuck_ -don’t hurt yourself.” Craig managed to get out, knuckles white as they gripped onto the side of the car. Tweek pulled off slowly, grinning slowly up at Craig. He shouldn’t look this good. He shouldn’t look this good with swollen, spit covered lips, lust blown eyes, and grinning between Craig’s legs.

            “I don’t have a gag reflex.” Craig’s head snapped up, eyes wide.

            “Wait, you wh- _FUCK!_ ” Craig moaned loudly as Tweek took the entirety of his length in his mouth, his jaw tightening as he tried not to buck his hips up. _God_ , this was the best night of Craig’s life. It really was. He got to have fun playing games with Tweek, make out with him on a Ferris wheel, drink in his favorite spot in town, and now Tweek was giving him the most incredible blow job he’s ever received. Grunting, he rolled his hips up, whimpering a bit as Tweek’s nose nuzzled into his pubic hair. “T-Tweek,” He choked out, hand grabbing Tweek’s hair and tangling into it. “I- _fuck_ -‘m close,” He whined, leg kicking as Tweek sucked at his cock. Tweek didn’t quite knew what that meant, but if it’s what he thinks it is, Tweek was excited he was able to get Craig to orgasm. Humming around his cock, he continued to suck and move his head up and down, hollowing his cheeks as he sunk down one last time. “ _Nggh! Tweek!_ ” Craig shouted, hips bucking up as he came with a shout down Tweek’s throat. It wasn’t the most pleasant tasting thing, but Tweek didn’t care. Whimpering softly, he sucked Craig through his orgasm, pulling his lips away slowly when he saw Craig lay limp. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, letting out a shaky breath as he smiled at Craig. The dark haired boy let out a soft laugh, looking at the blonde with hooded eyes. “Never sucked cock, huh?” He murmured, Tweek grinning a little wider.

            “Y-Yeah. Never.” He whimpered a bit as he shifted, suddenly very aware of how turned on he still was (Heidi used the word “hard”? So Tweek assumes he’s _that_ ). Craig licked his lips, tugging Tweek onto his lap.

            “Do you trust me?” He whispered, unbuttoning Tweek’s shirt. The blonde nodded, gripping at his shoulders as he placed gentle kisses each time more of his skin was exposed.

            “M-more than anyone.” Craig’s heart fluttered at those three simple words, pushing Tweek’s hips up a bit so he could tug down his pants and underwear. He heard him sigh as the pressure of the jeans pushing down on his dick was no more, Tweek suddenly feeling very exposed and very self-conscious as he realized he was now _naked_. Blushing, he tugged on the bottom of his button up, trying to hide himself. This was all _new_ to him still!

            “Hey-Hey I got you,” Craig cooed, placing a gentle kiss to his shoulder as he pushed the fabric of his shirt back lightly. Tweek let out a shaky breath, hands slowly resting on Craig’s shoulders. The fabric of his shirt gathered at his elbows, Craig sucking lightly at where his neck met his shoulder. Tweek whimpered when he bit down lightly, pulling away and spitting into his hand. Slowly, he wrapped his hand around Tweek’s cock, the blonde gasping and squirming in his lap. “I got you. I got you.” Craig repeated, left arm wrapped tight around Tweek’s waist in an effort to keep him steady. As his hand started moving, Tweek realized that for once, the warmth didn’t hurt. No, the warmth _felt incredible_ now, and Tweek didn’t want it to stop. Hips jerking forward into the tightness of Craig’s hand, he buried his face into his hair, whimpering loudly into the dark locks. He wasn’t sure why this felt so _amazing_ , but he didn’t care to find out the logistics of it. Not now. Not with Craig moaning against his skin and his hand jerking him off. Is that the term? _Jerking off_? God, it sounded so aggressive. _Stop thinking so much and relax, asshole!_ He thought, his body going limp under Craig’s touch. Okay, yeah, it was much more enjoyable now that he was calmer. He felt Craig panting lightly against his neck, placing light kisses every now and then.

            “ _Nggh_! Craig!” Tweek gasped, feeling the warmth pool low in his belly.

            “It’s okay. I’m here,” He cooed, placing a gentle peck to Tweek’s lips. “You’re so beautiful. I got you.” He whispered against his lips, Tweek’s body suddenly tensing up.

            “ _Jesus Christ!”_ He screamed, stars bursting behind his eyelids as he squeezed them shut as he came all over his stomach and a little bit on Craig’s hand. His finger nails dug into the back of Craig’s shoulders, scraping along the skin as he tried to sturdy his shaking limbs. Collapsing forward with a grunt, Tweek panted into Craig’s shoulder, noticing a little blood from the scraping. Licking his dry lips, Tweek let out a breathless laugh, limbs too heavy to move. The silence was welcoming, almost tucking them both into bed as the air around them was filled with the smell of sex.

            “You okay?” Craig whispered, hands rubbing lightly at his back. Tweek nodded slowly, turning to nuzzle his nose into the side of his neck.

            “Mhm,” He hummed, eyes fluttering shut. “Thank you…for everything…saving me, caring for me, _this_. I… _thank you_ , _Craig_.” He slurred, the high of his orgasm and alcohol making him feel lighter than air. Craig chuckled, rummaging through his center console for some spare napkins he tossed in there from a fast food run with Clyde. As he wiped up Tweek’s stomach, he glanced at the blonde half asleep on his shoulder.

            “You know I had to,” He murmured, setting the napkins on the floor for now. He eased them down so Craig could lean his head against the side of the backseat, Tweek laying on top of Craig as the taller boy rested his feet on the side of the car door. He ran one hand up Tweek’s spine, finger tips dancing up each vertebrate. The other hand tangled into his hair, thumb running lightly over the back of his head. Craig smiled up at the stars, eyes half lidded as his body gave into the exhaustion he was starting to feel. Glancing once more at Tweek, who was already half asleep on his chest, face buried into his neck, he chuckled. Craig placed a gentle kiss to his forehead, settling himself against the seat as a small smile formed on his face, his eyes fluttering closed. “It’s not every day a dream literally comes true.”

           

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Um this is my longest chapter to date, in fact, this is longer than a one shot I wrote. I hope all you horn dogs enjoyed! I've literally been writing this since 6 pm and it is almost 2:30 am (granted I took breaks and stuff). I know there was a lot in this chapter and I could've easily split it into two, but I liked the idea of this chapter being really long! I'm officially on Spring Break, but I got stranded at school since a nor'easter hit us today with 50-60 mph winds and snow and rain. It sucked ass, but I'm going home tomorrow! Again, hope you enjoyed, and as always, any and all feedback is appreciated (especially now because I never write smut but it felt right in this chapter)!


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Check out the twitter account I made!  
> https://twitter.com/craigorytucker  
> And my tumblr!  
> http://crowded-skies.tumblr.com

He wasn’t sure what time he woke up, but all Craig knew was that he had a splitting headache and stiff neck. Looking around, he noticed it was still dark, so it couldn’t be too late, right? He grappled for his phone on the floor of the car, trying not to disturb the blonde sleeping on his chest. Finally grabbing it, he clicked the home button, reading the time. _One forty three_. Okay, so not incredibly late. He noticed a few missed calls from Stan and one from Token. Unlocking his phone, he pressed Stan’s name, holding it to his ear. Thankfully in his sleep, Tweek still gave off a magical aura.

            “ _Oh great, you’re alive_.”

            “Hello, honey, nice to hear your voice.” Craig snorted, his voice a murmur.

            “ _You said you were gonna call!”_

 _“_ We fell asleep,” He tilted his neck to each side, sighing as he felt it crack. “We’re at the place our dads do their Jack Daniels witch costume bull shit thing.” Stan let out a laugh.

            “ _Fuck, I forgot about that_.”

            “How? It happened every year for, like, five years of our lives.” He chuckled, stroking Tweek’s hair and resting his chin on top of his head.

            “ _Mmm, got me there. Anyways, do you need us to come get you still? We’re all just hanging at Token’s.”_ Craig thought a moment.

            “If it isn’t too much of a bother.”

            “ _Not at all. Be there in fifteen.”_

 _“_ Thanks, dude.” He hung up, tossing the phone back on the floor before he shook Tweek lightly. The smaller boy grunted, burying his face into Craig’s chest.

            “’m not moving.” He grumbled, Craig smiling a bit.

            “Stan and Token are on their way. We’re going to Token’s.” Tweek hummed, lifting his head slowly and wiping the drool off the corner of his mouth.

            “Can we stop at your house first? I want to make sure Pluto is okay.” Craig nodded, helping Tweek look somewhat orderly. He started buttoning his shirt up for him.

            “Yeah I’m sure that could be arranged.” Sure enough, Stan and Token pulled up in Token’s car fifteen minutes later, Stan hoping out and walking over to the car.

            “Keys?” Craig snorted, tossing him the key ring.

            “You’re awfully pushy.”

            “I just _love_ this car.”

            “Marry it, why don’t you?” Craig chuckled, grabbing the tequila bottle off the passenger’s seat and climbing up front next to Stan. As they pulled away, Tweek kept his head tilted back, watching the stars paint the sky once more. He eventually let his head drop to the side, watching the buildings pass as they drove. His stomach twisted as they passed the aquarium, a small whimper escaping his lips as he watched people talk out front of it. Was it Luis? Or was it Blake? _Was it both_? He didn’t see who it was, but whoever it was, he hated them. He _loathed_ that place and the people in it. Well, except Wendy, but she quit, so it’s okay to say that now. “Swing by my place.” Craig instructed, Stan nodding as they pulled into the driveway.

            “I’ll be back.” Tweek murmured, rushing up to the door as he tried to focus on walking. His head was spinning, but he didn’t feel as sick this time after drinking. He walked up to Craig’s room, Pluto asleep in the tank. He was an o. cyanea octopus, which meant he was a daytime octopus, so he slept during the night whenever Tweek did. The blonde smiled, placing a gentle kiss to the side of the tank so he didn’t disturb him. He grabbed a lightweight jacket and tugged it on, searching the room for his conch shell. Of course, Pluto was on top of it, so he carefully reached into the tank. Once his hand was on it, he pulled it out from beneath Pluto very carefully, the octopus never moving. He sighed once he had his hands on the smooth conch, hugging it to his chest as he walked downstairs. Tweek was starting to feel really homesick, but the conch offered him some kind of consolation. Hoping back into the car, he gave the two dark haired boys in the front a small smile, hiding the shell in a pocket inside his jacket, the weight offering some comfort to him. The drive to Token’s was relatively quiet due to the hour in which they were awake. It was almost two forty five in the morning by the time they pulled up to Token’s, the three walking outback to sit around the pool with everyone else. It was calm, everyone talking quietly amongst themselves as Kenny, Clyde, Bebe, and Token floated in the pool. The group offered a soft murmur of hellos to the three, Tweek sitting next to Wendy on a lawn chair. She smirked a bit at Tweek, poking the hickey peeking out over the collar of his shirt.

            “Have fun tonight?” She whispered, Craig sitting on the ledge of the pool with his feet in the water. Tweek blushed, smirking a bit.

            “Yeah…lots of fun.” Wendy chuckled, glancing at Stan.

            “Me too…he finally kissed me.” Tweek grinned, laying back on the lawn chair with her. It was a tight squeeze, but they were thin enough that they managed to make it work.

            “Yeah? Seems like everyone had good luck tonight.” Tweek chuckled, Wendy laughing.

            “Seems like it huh?” They laid there a little longer, talking quietly amongst themselves. Suddenly, Tweek shot up, eyes wide as he frantically looked around. A dull pain appeared behind his eyes, much like what Craig used to experience when they were separated. Whining, he dug the heels of his hands into his eyes, stumbling to his feet.

            “Dude, you okay?” Kenny asked, furrowing his brows from the pool. Tweek let out a shaky breath, yelling out in pain as his side started to hurt.

            “The fuck is wrong with your jacket?!” Clyde yelled, Tweek throwing his hands back to his sides. He frantically looked down, noticing a soft glow coming from the inside pocket.

            “ _Fuck! Fuck, n-no!_ ” He rummaged through the jacket, ripping the shell out. It was hot in his hands, practically dropping it as he held the conch. Tweek didn’t even need to hold it to his ear to hear the voice.

            “-we’re so worried about you, Tweek. We miss you so much. It’s been almost two months without you.” Tweek let out a sob, everyone falling quiet at the unfamiliar voice coming through the shell.

            “Mom! M-Mom, I’m okay!” He sobbed.

            “Tweek?! T-Tweek, honey, is that you?!” Craig stared in disbelief, the sound of Tweek’s mother unreal to him. They were _thousands of miles away_ , but the love for her son knew no boundaries.

            “ _Yes_! M-Mom, it’s me!” His voice was so high that Craig would’ve assumed he was a child if he didn’t know it was Tweek. Then again, Tweek was forcefully removed from his home and thrown into a small enclosure for a month. Now, he made the difficult decision to give up everything he’s known in an effort to be with Craig, and he couldn’t imagine _just how scary_ that all had to be.

            “Son?!” It was a male voice. “Son, you-you can hear us?!”

            “Y-Yeah! Dad, mom, _shit_ , I-I’m sorry! I-I got too close to the shore and trusted a h-human I shouldn’t have trusted! He-he betrayed me!” He sobbed, one hand tugging at his curls.

            “Where are you, son?”

            “Colorado!”

            “How in the name of Poseidon did you end up in _Colorado_?!” His father asked, worry in his voice.

            “I-I don’t know! But-but I’m going to come home! I…gave up my tail.”

            “ _WHAT?!”_ They both yelled at the same time.

            “But-but don’t worry! I-I met someone! He’s going to help me!”

            “Tweek, what were you thinking?!”

            “I was t-thinking that I can’t get back to you with a tail so I-I needed legs!” There was a pause.

            “He has a point, Richard.”

            “Yes, Mary, I’m aware.” Tweek smiled a bit at their banter.

            “Tweek, sweetie, we were trying to contact you because we had to leave the reef.” Tweek’s face fell.

            “What?! W-What do you mean?!”

            “There were people growing suspicious of us being here, so the entire village evacuated. Don’t worry, we have your things! But-but it was too dangerous there. We all would’ve been captured if we-”

            “R-Richard-Richard there’s a boat!”

            “Shit! Tweek, we have to go!”

            “W-What?! No! Don’t-”

            “We love you, Tweek! You’re so smart! We know you’ll get home! We love you!” His mom said, and the glow of the shell faded. Tweek’s shaky breathing filled the silent yard, hot tears falling down his cheeks.

            “M-Mom? D-dad?” He choked out, hands shaking with frustration and a sense of dread. Were his parents okay?! How was their reef discovered?! What about his friends?! “Mom! D-dad!” He screamed this time, yelling in frustration as he fell into a fit of hysterics. Wendy jumped to action, grabbing the conch from his hands as he reached his arm up to smash it.

            “Tweek, no!” She yelled, grabbing it and tugging it out of his hand and setting it aside. Kenny climbed out of the pool, grabbing Tweek’s wrists so he didn’t pull his hair out.

            “Dude, look at me.” He said, Tweek yelling in frustration as he fell into a panic attack.

            “Craig!” Wendy yelled, the dark haired boy still in shock from hearing Tweek’s parents. Snapping out of his daze, he shot up, rushing over to Tweek.

            “Hey-hey, honey, look at me,” Tweek gasped at the pet name, his breath wheezing as he struggled to get his breath. He groaned, his mother’s voice saying the pet name in his head. With a scream, he started biting at his arms, Craig lunging forward. “Knock it off!” he yelled, trying to open Tweek’s jaw. Pulling away from his arm, Tweek tossed his head back, squirming under Kenny’s grip.

            “Pool! W-Water!” Tweek finally screeched out, legs kicking. Kenny stumbled forward as Tweek let his legs give out, sobbing hysterically and lying limp under the boy’s grip on his wrists. He kept calling out for his parents, chest heaving as he tried to gather the words and air he so desperately needed. Craig started unbuttoning his shirt while Wendy unlaced his boots. Tugging his clothes off while Tweek was writhing and struggling to breathe properly was a challenging task, but they somehow got him down to his boxers. Once Tweek realized that he was in his boxers, he shoved his way free, quickly wading into the water. Everyone in the pool moved out of his way, Tweek holding his hands out to lift them all out of the water. Clyde screamed while Bebe and Token watched in awe as they were set on the ground, Tweek diving under and freezing the top of the water over. They all fell silent, Wendy staring at the conch shell on the chair.

            “What…is this shell?” She picked it up, studying it carefully.

            “Forget the-the sh-shell! Wh-wh-what the _fuck_ j-just happened?!” Jimmy yelled, everyone too afraid to move in fear something else may happen. Token bit his lip, looking at Craig.

            “Dude, you probably don’t want to hear this, but I think we need to seriously consider taking him home…” Craig closed his eyes, a lump in his throat. He wasn’t sad, no, but Tweek was. He felt that sadness, just like that day in Token’s bathroom when they dyed his hair. He nodded, opening his eyes. He carefully walked out onto the ice, standing above Tweek. He tapped his shoe against the ice, noticing the blonde look up at him. Yelling in surprise, the ice beneath him broke open but immediately closed upon him being completely submerged. Craig immediately took a mental note to never do this on Stark’s Pond ever again, because being trapped under ice _is not comforting_. However, since Tweek was with him, he was able to breath under the water. The blonde was curled in on himself at the bottom of the pool, Craig floating gently to the ground next to him. He reached his arms out, tugging Tweek into them and holding him against his chest. Craig noticed he was silent now, bite marks littering his arms.

            “Tweek…” He murmured, the feeling of talking in water odd but…kind of exciting. He ran his thumb over a particularly rough bite, burying his face into the blonde’s hair.

            “I-I miss them.” He whispered eventually, face buried into Craig’s neck. The raven haired boy nodded, holding him tighter.

            “I know, Tweek,” He glanced up at the surface, all their friends watching with concern. He felt a sense of pride knowing his friends cared just as much for Tweek as he did. “We’ll get you back.”

* * *

 

Craig made the executive decision to finally take Tweek home. Well, it would still be a few weeks, but at the end of the month, they were taking Tweek back to the ocean. They all worked together to hatch a plan over the course of the last three weeks of school. They would all road trip out to Los Angeles, which is where Craig used to beach at his uncle’s beach house. Once there, they would spend a few days exploring the city (so Tweek could see it), and then they would go out on a boat to roughly the same area in which Tweek and Craig met. Sure, it would be weird knowing that once the two were in the water, everyone knew they would _be having sex_ , but everyone seemed to be alright with the notion once Tweek explained everything. Well, Cartman had some rejections, but after a quick punch in the arm from Kenny, Stan, and even Kyle, he was on board. It was a few days before they would be making the trip out and Craig was sitting with his mom in the back yard, Tweek and Tricia doing something while Thomas worked late that night. Craig clearly had something on his mind, Laura noting the way he was hunched over with his elbows resting on his knees and right leg moving rapidly.

            “Talk to me.” She finally said, sipping at her wine. Craig blinked, looking up. Tweek was close enough that his hearing was decent.

            “About?”

            “Whatever is on your mind,” She chuckled, swirling the wine in her glass. “You’re my baby boy. I know when something is on your mind.” Craig bit his lip, blushing a bit.

            “Well…there’s two things,” He sat up, running his sweating palms over his thighs as he thought about what he wanted to say. “I…have to have sex with Tweek in order for him to get his tail back.” Laura blinked, humming a bit.

            “Really?”

            “Y-Yeah…in the ocean…I don’t know how that’s gonna work, but… _fuck_ , Mom, I’m _nervous_.” He admitted, cheeks dusted red. Laura thought the confession was adorable. As much as she didn’t want to imagine her boy having sex, he was eighteen. He found a boy he really cared about, and even though she knew of his previous sex life with Kyle, this time there was a purpose.

            “Why are you nervous? You’ve had sex before.”

            “Yeah…but…this is _him_.” Laura smiled a bit.

            “You love him.” Craig’s face stood still, his entire body tensing. He hadn’t realized it. How could he have been so blind?! Groaning, he dropped his head to his hands, nodding slowly.

            “I-I do.” His mom tossed her head back as she laughed.

            “Why so bashful?!”

            “Because here’s the second thing I’m thinking about.” Tugging a crumbled up piece of paper out of his sweatshirt pocket, he passed it over to his mother. She gently flattened it on her lap, face falling as she saw it. It was a wanted poster (she didn’t even know they still made those), but it was _for her son_. She read the poster quickly.

            **WANTED: Craig Tucker, for the theft of a valuable creature from the South Park Aquarium, assault on the owner’s nephew, and trespassing. If seen, please call the South Park Police department. Do NOT approach. Suspect has violent tendencies _._**

 _“Violent tendencies?”_ She sneered, grimacing at the paper in her hands.

            “That’s what I said! I mean, yeah I beat the shit out of his nephew, but he deserved it! He’s the reason why Tweek ended up in that place.” He explained, Laura nodding as she set her wine down on the table next to her. She sighed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

            “You have to be careful,” She said, taking her sons hands in hers and looking him in the eyes. “If this aquarium dude is serious, he could’ve called other counties. Hell, maybe even other states! You have to be careful when you go out the next couple of days, okay?” She thought a moment. “Don’t tell your father I basically told you to avoid the law.” Craig snorted, leaning his forehead against his moms.

            “I won’t…and I’ll be careful…thanks, mom.” He murmured, Laura smirking a bit. She tangled a hand into her son’s hair, scratching lightly at the hairs on the base of his neck.

            “You have a boy upstairs who cares for you deeply. He’s counting on you to get him home,” She kissed his nose, laughing softly. “Don’t get caught by the fucking cops.”

* * *

 

The cars were packed and they bid farewell to their parents, all excited to even take a road trip. They would take Route 70 through Utah and Colorado before taking Route 15 through Nevada and into California all the way to Los Angeles. They were taking three cars: Craig’s, Token’s, and Bebe’s. Craig’s car had Stan, Wendy, Tweek and himself. Token’s car had Kyle, Heidi, Jimmy, and himself. Bebe’s car had Eric, Kenny, Clyde, and herself. They decided to drive in shifts, Stan, Kyle, and Bebe all driving first. As they started driving towards Denver to get to Route 70, Tweek leaned over into the front seat at a stop light, hitting the button to put the top down. Craig snorted.

            “You’re just as bad as Stan, I swear.”

            “Dude!” Stan laughed, looking at him in the rearview mirror. Wendy giggled, sucking on a lollipop as she rode in the passenger’s seat. Tweek twisted around in the seat once the top was down, waving to Bebe in Clyde behind them. They both waved back, Clyde rolling down the window and sticking his head out.

            “Hey Tweek!” He shouted, Bebe laughing as she tried to tug him back into the car as the light turned green. Tweek grinned.

            “Hey Clyde!” He shouted back, the radio blaring now as they sped off. They all sang along to the radio, Stan gasping as a Twenty One Pilots song came on.

            “Shit, I haven’t heard this song in ages!” He said, turning the radio up even more as they road down a long stretch of road. Craig grinned, tilting his head back and shutting his eyes as they drove. They were almost two hours outside of South Park, and the serenity of nature was so relaxing to him. He let himself get lost in the music as they rolled to a gentle stop at another light, his eyes fluttering open to look at the sky. Craig should really learn to pay attention more, a gentle knock coming from the car next to them. He lifted his head, freezing as he came face to face with his wanted poster pressed against the window of a cop car. The cop smirked at him next to the poster, tilting his head to the side of the road. _Oh fuck_. Craig swallowed hard, slowly unbuckling.

            “Hey, uh, Stan?”

            “What’s up?”

            “So, uh, funny story,” He kept his eyes on the cop. “I’m wanted for stealing Tweek out of the aquarium annnnnd there’s a cop car next to us and I _really need to run_ so don’t fucking follow me, alright? Sounds good? Okay, cool, love you, smooches, gotta blast!” Launching himself over the back of the car, he slid down the trunk, taking off into the open fields.

            “ _CRAIG!”_ He heard Tweek scream, the sound of cop sirens hitting his ears as he ran. As he approached the road that cut across the field, he heard the sirens and music from his car getting closer, about five cop cars racing down the stretch of road along with his friends behind the cops. His head was spinning. _This can’t be happening this can’t be happening this can’t be happening!_ He kept repeating, chest heaving as he ran. Twisting his body around, he could see the cops driving into the field itself, cursing to himself as he tried to rush to the road. A cop car nearly hit him, Craig yelling out in surprise as he turned back into the field. Another car raced past him, coming to a halt and cutting him off. Stumbling over his feet, Craig quickly turned around, rushing up to the road again. He started running down the road, a cop car stopped and waiting for him.

            “Knock it off kid, we have you surrounded!” The cop yelled, Craig ignoring him. He jumped onto the hood of the car, ran across the top, and jumped off the back, continuing his run.

            “ _Craig!”_ He heard Wendy’s voice this time, but he couldn’t see his friends. He heard the radio.

            _You’re the judge, oh no_

_Set me free_

_You’re the judge, oh no_

_Set me free_

_I know my soul’s freezing_

_Hell’s hot for good reason_

_So please, take me_

He grunted as he turned the bend of the road, Stan and everyone else parked and waiting for him. How or when they got there, he wasn’t sure, but he knew he was almost there. _Just keep going_. He repeated that to himself over and over as he pushed his burning muscles. He was so focused on running that he didn’t see the look of horror cross his friend’s faces. He didn’t hear the shot ring out over the pounding of his heart in his ears. Craig just felt the searing pain in his chest, screaming out in pain as he collapsed to the ground, Tweek’s screams ringing deep within him. He wasn’t dying, no, but _if it didn’t hurt like a mother fucker to get shot_.

“ _Mother fucker!”_ The cops all swarmed him, practically kicking him over onto his stomach and putting the handcuffs (way too tight) on his wrists, tugging him up to his feet.

            “This could’ve been easier, kid.” Craig spat the blood out of his mouth from his fall, coughing from the pain in the right side of his chest. Thank god the cop had shit aim.

            “F-Fuck you I did _nothing_!” He yelled, any and all strength leaving his body as he was dragged. He heard his friends running towards the commotion, Bebe’s voice breaking the soft murmurs between the cops.

            “What the fuck are you doing?! You _fucking shoot a kid_ because he avoided you?!” She screamed, Craig looking up at the group.

            “He resisted arrest.”

            “So you _shoot him_?!” Kyle yelled, anger spread across his face.

            “A warrant was set out by Mr. Luis last month for his arrest. In fact, why don’t you talk to him? He’s in the back of my patrol car.” Everyone fell silent as the door opened to the car closest to them, Tweek hiding behind Stan as Luis slowly approached the group. Blake was with him too, Craig grunting as he saw the kid. _God_ he hated his stupid, smug face.

            “Well,” Luis sneered, one hand clasped on top of a decorative cane and the other stuffed in his pocket. He faced the group of kids, smirking. “Seems as if we’ve met before… _isn’t that right_?” He hissed, Craig spitting towards him.

            “It was all _my idea_!” He yelled, grunting as his face was pressed into the hood of the cop car. “They’re all innocent! It was me!” He continued to yell, Tweek breathing heavily behind Stan. He made sure his legs were lined up with his so Luis couldn’t see them. The portly man turned, walking over slowly to Craig.

            “You just don’t know when to stop, do you?” Craig screamed in pain as Luis dug his knuckle against the bullet entrance, twisting it around and enjoying the way the boy beneath his touch screamed and squirmed. Tweek couldn’t take it. He _hated_ hearing Craig scream. Rushing forward, he let out a cry.

            “Stop it!” He cried out, realizing he just outed himself to Luis and Blake. They both turned slowly to face him, Tweek’s stomach twisting in knots as Luis walked over to him slowly. He took a few steps back, jumping when Blake grabbed his wrist. “N-No! Let me go!” He screamed, squirming under his touch. Luis grabbed his jaw, chuckling.

            “You! You’re a bigger problem than your little boy toy over there,” He lifted his cane, hitting Tweek behind the knees to make him fall. The blonde yelled in pain, Luis grabbing a fist full of his hair. “Now listen here,” He squatted down next to Tweek, chuckling. “I’m gonna have your little _boyfriend_ sent away for a long time. Not only did he steal _my property_ …” He ran a finger down down Tweek’s jaw, Craig trying to lunge forward at him.

            “Don’t you _dare touch him_!” He spat, blood falling down his chin. He grunted in pain as he was slammed back down against the hood of the car. Luis smirked again.

            “But he beat my nephew here up and trespassed in _my aquarium_ ,” Luis stood. “Tweek, you remember Blake, yes?” Tweek kept his gaze cast to the ground as he saw Blake kneel down out of the corner of his eye, leaning forward and pressing a kiss to his cheek.

            “Hey handsome.” He whispered, his tone _mocking_ Tweek.

            “ _You son of a bitch_!” Craig screamed the best he could, the cop’s hand pressed against his cheek. Luis sneered, nodding to the cops.

            “Take him away from here.” He murmured, the cops nodding as they tugged Craig to his feet. Craig locked eyes with Tweek, smirking slightly as he threw a wink his way as he was dragged to the back of the cop car.

            “ _NO!”_ Tweek suddenly screamed, everything suddenly becoming… _eerily quiet_. Everyone stopped moving, their faces turning as white as a sheet. Craig blinked, finding that he could move, but it seemed like nobody else could. Wiggling his arms free, he took a few steps forward, testing to see if he was dreaming. He froze as he saw Tweek, the whites of his eyes turning a faint red as the iris of his eyes turned a lime green. His teeth were gritted as he stared at the group of people in front of him, Craig looking over at everyone. They were frozen. They could talk and make noises, but they had no control over their bodies. Tweek tiled his head to the right, everyone dropping to their knees and groaning in pain.

            “W-What’s going on?” Jimmy asked, everyone frozen behind Tweek. Not because they _couldn’t_ move, but because they were too scared to. Craig blinked, noticing how everyone’s eyes were watering as they fell to their knees, their veins an ugly purple as the blood ran quickly underneath their skin. His mouth fell open, turning back to Tweek and the group.

            “He…he’s controlling the water in their blood stream.” Everyone’s mouths fell open slightly, staring at Tweek as he walked through the distorted bodies to get to Luis and Blake. He raised his forearm, his hand sideways. He twisted his forearm so the back of his hand faced his friends, the two men screaming in _agony_ as they were forced to lay in a way that was most definitely painful.

            “Are you _done_ ruining my life?” Despite the _anger_ in Tweek’s face, his voice was steady.

            “What-what are you doing to us?!” Blake yelled out, Tweek slowly raising his other arm. Blake rose with it, Tweek’s gaze drifting over to him. The boy’s face fell, Tweek clenching his fist as the boy reached his feet. He screamed in agony, body collapsing in on itself as Tweek dropped his arm back down. He hunched over Luis, the man looking _terrified_ for once of Tweek. His eyes were so intense, so filled with _anger_ that it made the man _sick_.

            “Doesn’t it suck to feel _powerless_?” Tweek raised his left arm so Luis stood slowly, flicking his wrist to the right to make Luis’ right arm twist uncomfortably. The man grunted in pain. “To feel so… _hopeless_?” He flicked his other wrist to the left, his left arm twisting around. Luis screamed out this time. Tweek took a step forward, locking eyes with him. “Doesn’t it suck to not _have a say in anything?_ To _not feel in control of your choices_?” Tweek slammed his arms down to the side, both Luis and Blake standing normally, but arms at attention to their sides. “That’s how you _fuckers_ made me feel! For over a _month_ I did _everything_ you wanted of me! You took me from my _home_ and you ruined my life!” Tweek screamed, Craig taking a few tentative steps towards him. His hands were still cuffed behind his back, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t comfort the boy. “You abused me! You took advantage of my trust!” He thrusted his finger at Blake. “You told me I _meant something to you_!” He screamed, angry tears pooling into his eyes.

            “Tweek.” He whipped around, Craig tensing as Tweek momentarily took control of his body. It was expected since he snuck up on him, but it was so quick he barely realized it happened. The blonde’s eyes softened a bit, the intensity still there, however. Tweek glanced at Craig’s arms, walking over to a cop and taking his keys to unlock the cuffs. Craig rubbed his wrists once they were free, grunting as he felt a surge of pain through his upper chest and shoulder from the bullet wound.

            “C-Craig you’re hurt.” He whispered, attention fully directed on Craig. Despite his attention elsewhere, no one could move still.

            “I’ll be okay,” he whispered, cupping Tweek’s face in his hands. He needed to calm him down. “Do you think you could get the bullet out?” He cooed, stroking his cheek with his thumb. Tweek nodded a bit, placing a hand over top the wound on the back of Craig’s shoulder. It was uncomfortable feeling his blood pool into that one spot of his body, but it wasn’t as painful as getting shot. After a few moments, the blood under Tweek’s control pushed the bullet out of the wound, Craig sighing in relief as he let the breath he was holding go. Tweek closed his eyes for a moment, Craig noticing everyone slowly moving their limbs to their own accord. He pulled Tweek into his arms, placing gentle kisses to his forehead. He looked up at their group, using his hand to dismiss them to the cars. Once he saw them start heading that way, he wrapped an arm around Tweek, directing him towards the car. Everyone was so disoriented and under the spell of Tweek that they were able to get away easily, Craig looking back as they _finally_ drove off. _Hopefully they got the hint not to fuck with us anymore_. He chuckled at the thought, turning his attention back to Tweek. His eyes were back to normal, but he stared at his hands with wide eyes.

            “I…I’m a monster.” He breathed out, Wendy whipping around in the seat.

            “Tweek, you are in _no way_ a monster! That was your fight or flight instinct. We can’t be mad at you for that.”

            “Plus,” Stan added, glancing back at them in the rear view mirror as they headed back to the main road. “That was… _sick as fuck_.” Tweek smiled weakly, swallowing the lump in his throat.

            “I-I’ve only ever done that one other time…” Craig placed a gently kiss to his temple, keeping his lips there to offer comfort to the blonde.

            “When?”

            “There was this b-boy who…was going to hurt my friend. She…she looked so scared and she hadn’t gotten her powers yet…so I just yelled at him to stop and…he did…but because _I made him_.” He explained, eyes cast downward. Wendy smiled a bit.

            “You saved her,” She placed a hand on top of his. “Just like you save Craig. And me. And Stan. And _all of us_.” She explained, Tweek smiling weekly as he sniffled a bit.

            “Y-Yeah…I guess so.” He murmured, slowly relaxing into Craig’s embrace. Tweek didn’t think much about what happened for the rest of their drive that day. He either watched the sky, the trees and buildings, or Craig, who fell asleep shortly after they got back on the main road. Tweek stared at him with a soft smile, pushing his bangs off his forehead gently and resting his hand against his cheek. Here laid a boy that is literally putting his life on the line to get him home. _Home_. Tweek smiled as he laid his head against Craig’s shoulder, a sudden and exciting realization settling in: Tweek was going home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am terribly sorry if there are mistakes, but mama is tired and officially home on spring break, so I am cozy in my own bed! Thanks so much for reading! I can already imagine a bunch of comments saying "wow that's just like blood bending from avatar the last airbender!" Well, that's partly where I got the idea from of Tweek controlling the water in their blood stream! Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and as always, ANY AND ALL FEEDBACK IS APPRECIATED!!! (I haven't been getting a lot lately and I am slowly putting myself into a rut, so please leave comments!! Thanks sweet beans!)  
> Song used:   
> Twenty One Pilots: The Judge-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbP-aIe51Ek


	15. Chapter 15

Tweek lost count after sixteen, but he now knows the words to _Africa_ by Toto forwards and backwards. If it wasn’t playing in their car, it was playing in Bebe’s, and when it didn’t play in Bebe’s, it played in Token’s. Tweek learned the words to a lot of 80’s songs during their drive today. When Wendy drove and he sat in the front seat about two hours after they escaped the cops, Stan and Craig sang _Material Girl_ by Madonna at the top of their lungs, Clyde and Kenny joining in from their cars. Tweek couldn’t help but grin at the looks people gave as they drove past, Wendy actually laughing at the sight of the boys kneeling on the back seat and hanging onto the trunk of the car. Clyde was singing out the sun roof of Bebe’s car, his hips moving _way too much_ considering the tight space he was in. They called it a night for driving around six pm, pulling up to a seedy motel somewhere in Utah. Token estimates that they could be in California in another two or three days, but no one seemed in any rush, Tweek included. They wandered into the motel, paying for three rooms (four people in each room) before deciding to take a walk through the small town they were in. There wasn’t much to it, only the essential eateries and shops. In fact, it was a lot like South Park. Clyde took the initiative to choose somewhere to eat, deciding on the town’s diner. The food wasn’t awful, relatively tasty for the cheap prices they were paying. As they ate their food, Cartman spoke up.

            “So are we getting lit tonight or what?”

            “ _Please_ don’t say the word lit again.” Kyle pleaded, Tweek smirking a bit at how close he was pressed to Heidi.

            “I’m bringing the word back, dude! Lit will never- _ow_!” Kenny smacked him upside the head, snickering.

            “I used that word religiously and I’m telling you to _let it die_.” Eric pouted.

            “We will bring this important topic up later, but are we though?! Kenny has his fake with him!”

            “Dude, fucking yell that a little louder ,why don’tcha?!” Kenny hissed between his teeth, yanking on Eric’s ear.

            “ _OW!_ Kenny, knock it off!” He groaned, tugging his ear out of his grip. Token snorted.

            “I mean, we could if we wanted to. Just remember we have to drive more tomorrow, so some of us have to stay sober.” They all looked at each other, Clyde letting out a dramatic groan.

            “ _Fine!_ I’ll stay sober in our car.” Bebe grinned, kissing his cheek. Wendy shrugged.

            “I’ll stay sober.”

            “And I’m fine with staying sober.” Token said, sipping at his milkshake. Kenny smirked, slapping some cash on the table for their tab, everyone following suit.

            “Let’s find some liquor then, guys and gals.” It didn’t take long to find a liquor store, considering all anyone probably does in this town is drink and smoke weed (or grow it, Craig thought). Kenny took everyone’s requests before walking into the store. They hung out in the parking lot while he perused the shelves, Clyde plopping down on the curb.

            “What are we gonna do once we get to LA?” He asked, everyone stopping. They hadn’t thought too far ahead, only on how to get Tweek’s tail back, not necessarily what they’ll _do_ once there.

            “Well…why don’t we do this,” Craig squatted down as he thought, elbows resting on his knees. “Everyone thinks of something they’ve always wanted to do or see in LA and we’ll try our best to do it. Sound like a deal?” Everyone nodded, Eric raising his hand. Craig sighed, pinching the bride of his nose. “Yes Eric?”

            “Yes, who will be accompanying you two on your little love boat?” Tweek let out a yelp, his face flushing red. Craig stood up, glaring at him.

            “No one has to.” He said sharply, holding his hand up to stop Eric from talking more. He sighed, turning to Tweek. Yeah, the thought of what awaited them once they got to LA was… _daunting_. It’s not that Craig didn’t want to have sex with Tweek, it’s just the fact that once he does, _he may not see him again_. Tweek noticed the distanced look on Craig’s face. He bit his lip, standing up from his spot on the curb and walking over.

            “You okay?” He whispered, placing his hand on his cheek. Craig glanced over at him, letting out a sigh as he closed his eyes and placed a hand on top of the one on his face. He nodded a bit, using his other arm to hug Tweek close to him. The blonde gasped, pressing his cheek against Craig’s chest. They stayed like that until Kenny came out, brown paper bags in hand filled with everyone’s liquor choice.

            “Ya’ll owe me some cash, you thirsty bitches.” Kenny laughed, everyone grabbing their liquor of choice. Craig grabbed the bottle of Jack Daniels he requested, unscrewing the cap and immediately taking three long gulps. Clyde blinked.

            “Dude, take it easy why don’tcha? We aren’t even back at the motel!” Craig just flipped him off, his mood suddenly taking a total one eighty. Tweek stood back with Wendy as they walked back, chewing lightly on his bottom lip.

            “Does Craig seem… _angry_ to you?” He whispered, Wendy looking over at him. She bit her lip as well, glancing up towards Craig. He had the bottle of Jack Daniels in one hand and a cigarette between his fingers in the other, shoulders slightly hunched. She nodded as she turned back to Tweek.

            “I can try and figure out why if you want?”

            “N-not now,” Tweek breathed out, tugging gently at his hair. “Later. Not while he’s this tense. He-he’s unstable right now. He hunches over like that when he wants to be left alone.” He whispered, Wendy smiling a bit.

            “You picked up on his habits quickly.”

            “W-What do you mean?”

            “You know he wants to be left alone just by how he’s standing.” Tweek blushed, looking back up at the dark haired boy. He felt his stomach start to do flip flops and his heart swell, quickly turning away.

            “Well…I… _nngh…_ I-I-”

            “Love him.” Tweek stopped walking, staring at the back of Craig’s head as he kept walking. He swallowed hard, turning back to Wendy before nodding dumbly.

            “ _So much_ ,” He breathed out, lip quivering slightly. He sniffled. “I-I want to go home but…I don’t w-want to leave him.” He admitted, hiding his face in his hands. Wendy smiled sadly, wrapping her arms around him.

            “It’ll be okay.” She whispered, Tweek letting out a sob as she guided him with an arm around his shoulder as they continued walking back to the motel. They discovered a little lake with a dock about five minutes down the road from the motel, hiking there after dropping some things off in their rooms. The group of teens settled down in the grass while they watched Stan and Kyle gather some wood to make a campfire in the sand on the little shoreline. Once they made a base with the sticks, they stuffed dead grass and leaves in between, Craig lighting it up with his lighter. The fire offered them some warmth as the sun set, a chill in the air. Wendy sat between Stan’s legs as he nursed a bottle of Svedka vodka, Heidi curled up against Kyle as they shared a bottle of tequila, Clyde handed Bebe bottles of Corona whenever she finished, and Tweek decided he didn’t feel like drinking as he smelt the Jack Daniels, his stomach twisting from the smell alone. Kenny smirked after taking a long sip of his bottle of Jameson.

            “Why don’t we play a fun game?” He slurred, Jimmy smirking.

            “W-W-What kinda g-game?”

            “Truth or dare.” Stan groaned.

            “Dude, that game is _so middle school_.” He whined, head lolling back.

            “Shut up! You’re _drunk_!” Kenny hissed.

            “You are too!” Kenny snorted.

            “Touché,” He took another swig. “So are we playing?!” Everyone grumbled a soft agreement, Craig lighting up another cigarette. Tweek curled a little more into his side, not enjoying how… _quiet_ Craig was. Kenny looked around the circle, stopping on Bebe.

            “Bebe, truth or dare?” She thought a moment.

            “Hmm…truth!” Kenny smirked.

            “How many guys here have you hooked up with?” Bebe snorted, looking around the circle.

            “Six.” Eric gasped.

            “Bebe, _I’m shocked!_ ” Bebe let out a laugh.

            “I’m not,” She looked around the circle. “Stan, truth or dare?”

            “Dare, bitch…sorry that was aggressive.” He took a swig of his vodka.

            “I dare you to skinny dip.”

            “ _What?!_ No! There’s a family on their boat!” He laughed.

            “Fine! Then you gotta drink until I say stop!” He thought a moment, sighing.

            “I’m not willing to die. I’d rather show my dick.” He stood up, everyone laughing a cheering as he tugged his clothes off as he walked down the length of the dock. Kicking off his underwear, he turned around the face the group, everyone clapping and whistling at him as he jumped in the water. Bebe was laughing as she sat in Clyde’s lap, the brunette holding her close as he laughed as well. Tweek laughed as well, except Craig wasn’t. _What the fuck is wrong with him?_ Placing his hand on top of Craig’s knee, Tweek gave it a gentle squeeze, the raven haired boy glancing down at him. He gave a weak smile before turning away, swallowing hard and taking a draw from his cigarette. Stan came running back up a minute later, underwear and clothes bundled up in front of his dick as he stumbled up the small incline of the shore.

            “I’m impressed, Marsh!” Bebe laughed, Wendy patting his ass as he walked past. He snorted, tugging his underwear on and nothing else.

            “I’m surprised I didn’t die from swimming while drunk,” He glanced around the circle.

            “Cartman, truth or dare?”

            “Dare, bruh.”

            “I dare you to sing _99 Luftballons_ by Nena.” Cartman laughed.

            “Dude I don’t-”

            “Don’t you _dare_ say you don’t speak German, fatass!” Kenny chimed in, Kyle smirking.

            “We know you do, so just sing it. I’m sure you know all the words.” He teased, Eric’s face a dark red. He grumbled as he stood up, taking in a deep breath before he _actually started singing in German_. Wendy’s mouth fell open, Bebe gasping as she stared at him. Heidi was grinning against Kyle’s shoulder, Token and Jimmy staring at each other in disbelief. How was it that Eric Cartman knew German _and_ the lyrics to a bubblegum pink 80’s pop song?! As he finished singing, he plopped back down, smirk on his face.

            “Zweifle nicht an meiner Liebe zum Pop,” He chuckled, taking a swig of his drink. He hummed as he looked around the circle. “Clyde, truth or dare?”

            “Truth.”

            “Have you ever thought about having sex with a guy in this circle?” Clyde flushed a bright red, clearing his throat.

            “I, uh…y-yeah?”

            “Second question! Surprise! Who was it?!” Cartman yelled, practically tumbling backwards. Clyde grunted, eyes darting towards Token. Kenny saw it, gasping sharply.

            “You’re lying!” Clyde shook his head, smirking a bit.

            “Nope.” He enunciated the ‘p’, Kenny leaning over and whispering to Cartman, who proceeded to burst into a fit of laughter. Jimmy smirked. He would never tell Clyde, but he saw his eyes move. Clyde looked around the circle.

            “Craig, truth or dare?” He sighed, putting his cigarette out in the sand.

            “Truth.” He grumbled, Tweek biting his lip.

            “Why are you being such a moody bitch tonight?” The circle fell quiet, everyone knowing, even in their drunken state, that was a question one should _never ask Craig Tucker_. Because Clyde was his best friend, he could get away with it… _sometimes._ Craig made a face.

            “I change my mind. Dare.” He slurred, fingers tangling into his hair.

            “I dare you to tell me why you’re being a moody bitch!” Clyde stood up suddenly, looking frustrated. “You drag us all into your plan to rescue Tweek, which is fine! We’re friends, it’s what we do! But it makes it hard to want to do stuff when you act like this! I know you! You act like this when you’re struggling with some _inner turmoil bullshit_ ,” He loomed over Craig at this point, who was staring straight ahead, ignoring Clyde’s gaze. “Fucking talk to us, Craig…it gets exhausting watching you fall into these depressive states.” Craig’s hand twitched, Tweek’s eyes wide as he watched Craig lung forward and tackle Clyde to the ground. They were roughly the same size, but Craig was clearly stronger. Each boy only managed to get a few hits in each before they were tugged apart, Craig spitting the blood out of his mouth.

            “You wanna know why, asshole?! Because we’re on our way to take him home! We-we’re taking him _home_ and who knows when the _fuck I’ll see him again_! Because once he’s gone, I’m thrown back into a world of silence! Do you know how _fucking hard_ it is to live in South Park as a _deaf kid_?! It’s fucking _impossible_! Can you blame me for being depressed?! I can’t really talk to anyone except for my parents and sister, because they’re the only ones _who bothered to learn sign language_ ,” He jabbed Clyde in the chest with his index finger as he spoke. “You’re my best friend! Why didn’t _you_ bother to learn sign language?! Kyle did! He dated me for _eight months_ and he learned some! Fuck, I hooked up with Kenny three times and he knows how to spell his name at least in sign language!” He shoved Clyde away from him, bite behind his words. “I’m a moody bitch because I don’t want to see Tweek go! He saved my life when I was ten years old and I thought he had been a dream for _eight years_! I’m a fucking moody bitch because now _I have to let go the love of my fucking life_ and I don’t _want to do that!”_ He spat, the group quiet now as Craig turned and walked towards the road. No one made an effort to go after him, too in shock to Craig _finally_ admitting his true feelings for Tweek, the blonde himself included. Hot tears fell down Tweek’s cheeks as he stared at his feet, Wendy wrapping an arm around him and placing a light kiss to his hair. Bebe wrapped an arm around Clyde, who was clearly shaken up about his friend’s outburst, placing gentle kisses to his cheek to comfort him. Kenny stood, sighing.

            “Let’s head back to the motel and wait for hot head to come back.” Everyone nodded, Token dumping some of his water on the fire to smother whatever was still burning at this point. They all bid goodnight and went to their respective rooms, Tweek sharing one with Craig, Stan, and Wendy. They all got ready for bed and laid down, Tweek sitting up in his bed he was supposed to be sharing with Craig. Wendy and Stan were sitting up too, obviously not going to bed until Craig returned. Tweek glanced at the clock. _Eleven twenty four_. Craig had been gone for almost an hour, his stomach twisting as he assumed the worst. What he was found by the cops and they were told about him?! What if he was attacked by some animal?! What if he was dead somewhere and Tweek would never get his tail back?! Whining, he started tugging at his curls, Wendy getting up out of her bed to sit on the edge of his.

            “Hey, shhh, don’t do that,” She cooed, grabbing his wrists. “He’ll be back. He always comes back.” Tweek nodded, laying his head on her shoulder as Stan sat on the other side of the bed, rubbing small circles on Tweek’s back as they tried to offer some comfort to him. The next time Tweek glanced at the clock, it was almost one am. It had been almost _two hours_ and Craig wasn’t back. Stan let out a sigh, standing.

            “Come on,” He passed the keys to Wendy. “We gotta start driving around, this is getting ridiculous.” He grumbled, running a hand down his face. Tweek stood, grabbing Craig’s jacket and wrapping it around himself. _He must be freezing. Oh god! What if he froze to death?!_ Tweek thought, whimpering as he nuzzled into the fabric of the jacket. He climbed into the backseat of Craig’s, Wendy driving while Stan sat in the passengers window. They drove for what felt like _hours_ to Tweek (it was only twenty minutes of calling Craig’s name out), when they found him sitting in the middle of a barren, cracked stretch of land. His legs were tugged up to his chest as he sat on top of a rock, head tilted back as he looked at the stars. Stan picked up a small rock as he passed it, chucking it towards Craig. The boy jumped when it hit his arm, twisting to see the three walking towards him. He grunted, turning his attention upwards.

            “What?” He mumbled, eyes focused on the stars.

            “What the fuck were you thinking?!” Stan yelled, exhaustion setting in under his eyes (Tweek could see it). “You just up and go and don’t even think to tell us _where_ you’re going?! Tweek’s been _worried sick_ over you! For someone who had a lot to say about him back there you sure as hell don’t seem to care now!” That got Craig’s attention. Tweek flinched at how quickly his head snapped down to stare Stan down, afraid his neck would break. He didn’t say anything at first, but after a deep breath, he spoke.

            “Don’t doubt what I said. I meant every word,” He turned his body to full look at them, stretching his legs out and leaning back on the palms of his hands. “You see the stars?” Everyone looked up slowly, blinking. “It’s so clear. There’s no light pollution. Just us, the land, and the stars above us,” He turned his attention upwards again. “It’s clear…freeing….perfect…and that’s how it feels for me to be around Tweek,” They all turned their gaze down to stare at Craig, but he kept his gaze focused upwards, a small, sad smile on his face. “Everything is so _simple_. So clear when I’m around him. I’m _free_ …I’m not confined to my disability. It…it’s also so _perfect_ with him. Everything we do is so fun and-and he _cares_ so much for me and he genuinely wants to learn things from me. He likes listening to me talk about my interests. I never talk to anyone about it because I don’t want to _burden anyone any more than I have to_ ,” He slowly tilted his gaze back down to stare at his friends, eyes drifting over to the blonde with teary eyes. Slowly reaching a hand out, he wiped a tear that fell down Tweek’s cheek, humming as he let his hand rest on his cheek. “If I could save you and Pluto over and over again I would. If I meant I got a little more time with you…and I promise I’ll take care of Pluto until I can get him home to you. I’m sorry we couldn’t bring him this time around…but I’ll get him to you,” He swallowed hard, sighing slowly. “Just like I’ll somehow always find a way back to you.” Wendy and Stan stared in awe at their friend, the moment feeling very intimate despite Craig’s inebriated state. Tweek let out a shaky breath, nuzzling into the touch of Craig’s hand.

            “C-Craig…” He choked out, taking a tentative step forward. Wendy felt her chest swell at the simple sight of Craig placing light kisses to Tweek’s face, her hand sliding into Stan’s as they turned and walked back towards the car to wait. Craig eventually pecked Tweek on the lips, leaning his forehead against his.

            “’m sorry,” He mumbled, running his thumb along Tweek’s jaw, “’m sorry for-for being so moody.” Tweek smiled sadly.

            “I understand…I-I’ve been struggling with saying goodbye to the love of my life, too.” Craig pulled away slowly, eyes locking with Tweek’s. The blonde smiled a little wider, his eyes crinkling just the way Craig liked it. He let out a breathless laugh, tangling a hand into his own hair as happy tears pooled his eyes. _God, he’s an emotional drunk_. Tweek thought, smiling as a few happy tears fell down Craig’s cheeks.

            “Y-Yeah?” He choked out, tugging Tweek closer as he stood up. Tweek nodded, gripping his shirt in his hands.

            “Yeah…I… _I fucking love you_ , _Craig_.” Tweek breathed out, a grin on his face now. Craig couldn’t stop the grin that formed on his face as he took a deep breath in. He leaned forward, kissing Tweek gently. It felt like just them as they stood under the banner of heaven, the stars lining up on Craig’s side for once. Pulling away, Craig leaned his forehead agianst Tweek’s, gripping him by his hips. He took a moment to look at the boy in front of him, chuckling softly.

            “I love you, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I'm being a moody bitch myself and writing angst lmao. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! I was listening to 80's music (as if you couldn't tell) and a lot of ideas stemmed from that! Thank you all so much for reading and for giving feedback as well! I've been trying to figure out how long I want this story to be/where I want to take it and your feedback has been so helpful, so please keep leaving it! Until the next chapter, and as always, any and all feedback is appreciated! (and follow my tumblr! crowded-skies is my username!)  
> German Translation! (I took four years of German, fun fact!)   
> "Don't doubt my love for pop"   
> Songs:  
> Africa-Toto: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAo_Ycocl1E  
> Material Girl-Madonna: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlPCW6nLheM  
> 99 Luftballons (or 99 Red Balloons is the english version)-Nena: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nu7LtizQg4


	16. Chapter 16

The sun woke Craig up the next morning, hitting his face as it slipped through the curtains, the room set in an orange glow. He doesn’t remember how or when he got home, but all he knew was his head was _throbbing_. Grunting, he rolled over onto his back, pinching the bridge of his nose. He glanced next to him, blinking as he saw messy blonde curls. Tweek was curled up next to him, sunlight hitting his face and making his freckled, pale skin radiate. Craig’s heart leapt to his throat as he stared at the boy in bed with him. How was the human embodiment of _the sun_ lying in bed next to him? How did he get _this lucky_? He felt his lips twitch a bit into a small smile, rolling over onto his side so he could look at him better. Craig liked studying Tweek’s features when he could because he wants to remember ever detail he can about the boy who brings so much light into his life. He started off by counting the freckles on his face (there are over one hundred). Next, he moved on to study the way his face rested while he slept. Everything about the way Tweek slept was gentle: his breathing, the way his eyes shut (there were no creases anywhere), the fluttering of his eyelashes as he woke up. _Oh_. The orange of the sun met Tweek’s green eyes, the boy scrunching his nose up as he rubbed his eyes and yawned (even that was perfect).

            “Hey.” Craig murmured, smiling a bit at Tweek. The blonde smiled back, nuzzling his cheek into the pillow and rolling onto his side to lie face-to-face with Craig.

            “Morning.” He whispered, Stan and Wendy still asleep in the other bed.

            “You sleep well?”

            “After we got you home, yes.” Craig grimaced.

            “’m sorry about last night…”

            “You should apologize to Clyde.” Craig pursed his lips.

            “It was that bad?”

            “You punched him.” Craig winced.

            “I’ll knock on his door in a bit.” He grumbled, rubbing the heel of his hand into his eye.

            “How’re you feeling?”

            “Shitty.”

            “You drank a lot.”

            “Don’t let me do that again.” Tweek snorted.

            “’m not your dad.”

            “No,” Craig dropped the hand rubbing his eye to Tweek’s hip, tugging him closer. “But you’re my _boyfriend_ and that’s what we do for each other.” Tweek’s face flushed a light pink, the orange of the rising sun making it seem redder than it was.

            “ _Boyfriends_.” He enunciated, a grin crawling across his face. Craig blushed.

            “I- _shit_ -I just assumed we-”

            “Quit your babbling! I sucked your dick and said I love you, _of course_ we’re boyfriends now.” Craig snickered, leaning his forehead against Tweek’s.

            “I didn’t get to tell you, but that was the _best blowjob_ I ever received.” Tweek snorted.

            “You get your dick sucked often, Tucker?” Craig yelped.

            “No!” He scrunched his nose as Stan stirred in the bed, lowering his voice once he settled. “It-it’s just _been awhile_.” He hissed between his teeth, Tweek chuckling.

            “I could tell.” Tweek let his gaze wander down Craig’s body, hand sliding up the back of his shirt. The taller boy shivered under his touch, Craig looking at him. He blinked, noticing the mischievous glint in Tweek’s eye.

            “Hon, listen, whatever you’re planning I don’t think it’s a very good- _nngh_.” Tweek dragged his finger nails slowly down Criag’s back, licking his lips as he watched the way his back arched.

            “What was that?” Tweek practically purred, Craig chewing on his bottom lip as he glanced over top of Tweek’s head towards the two people in the bed not even ten feet away from them.

            “ _We aren’t alone_.” He hissed, voice caught in his throat. Tweek hummed, running his hand down to graze over Craig’s dick, noticing he was already hard despite his protests.

            “Your dick seems to think differently.”

            “Because you keep _teasing me_.” He grunted, deciding to take matters into his own hands. Grabbing Tweek by the wrists, he rolled them over so Craig was on top, Tweek’s hands pinned above his head. Using his right hand, he held both wrists while his left hand dug into Tweek’s hip. Craig enjoyed the way Tweek looked so surprised, so excited, so _hungry_.

            “Is this what happens when I tease you?” Tweek whispered, hips squirming beneath Craig’s grip.

            “What has gotten into you?” Craig teased, biting lightly at the skin where Tweek’s shoulder and neck meet. He felt a low whine rumble through Tweek, smirking slightly against the skin.

            “M-Mermaids get horny, too, ya know.” He breathed out.

            “…how _do_ you reproduce?” Craig asked, lifting his shirt over his head before pushing Tweek’s up to kiss at his stomach. Tweek hummed, closing his eyes.

            “We enter a form of heat. We-we get the respective genitals for the gender we would be if we were fully human. Reproduction is like-like how humans do it, but birth is like a f-fish. They lay eggs.” Craig glanced up at him.

“You came from an egg?”

“You did too, genius.” Craig blinked, smirking.

“Touché.” He continued kissing up Tweek’s stomach to his chest.

“We enter heat once a month, almost like a woman goes through menstruation, but we don’t start going through it until we’re eighteen,” He arched his back as Craig sucked lightly on one of his nipples, biting down hard on his lip. “M-My body is just…going through heat I-I guess.” He breathed out, turning his head to bury it into the crook of his arm as his boyfriend continued to tease him.

            “Mmm,” Craig hummed, rolling his hips down against Tweek’s. He slammed his other hand over Tweek’s mouth as he gasped loudly, smirking down at him. “Makes sense.” He purred, continuing to grind his hips down into Tweek’s. Okay, so Tweek enjoyed being in control on their first date, but he _really_ enjoyed being underneath Craig and unable to move as he relentlessly grinded into him. Tweek tilted his head up, trying to kiss Craig, but he kept pulling away every time their lips brushed together.

            “ _Bitch_.” Tweek slurred, head spinning from _how good_ he felt. His heart was hammering in his chest, legs wrapping around the back of Craig’s legs as he tried to press himself closer.

            “You’re awfully needy.” Craig whispered, both boys glancing over to their friends to make sure they were still asleep. They had moved, but weren’t awake.

            “I’ve been deprived of _sex_ for years. I literally have been unable to have my sexual frustrations satisfied. I have been sexually curious since I was twelve. _Of course I’m horny_.” He growled, a darkness in his eyes that was so _hot_ to Craig.

            “ _Fuck_.” He closed the distance between them, pressing their lips together in a hungry kiss. _At least it will keep Tweek quiet_. Sliding his tongue against Tweek’s lips, the blonde happily opened his mouth for Craig’s tongue, their hips rocking together. The bed creaked slightly under them, both boys cursing as they glanced back towards the headboard. Thinking quickly, Craig tossed their pillows over the side of the bed that was away from Stan and Wendy, wrapping his right arm around Tweek’s waist and pushing them both up with his left. The blonde blinked in surprise, cheeks flushing red as he was lifted so easily and laid back down on the floor. The blankets were tugged with them, Craig tugging them over their heads. It felt more intimate that way, more private. Pulling Craig down on top of him by his shoulders, Tweek pressed their lips and bodies back together, the boy on top of him groaning softly as he resumed rutting against Tweek. The blonde dug his finger nails into Craig’s back, Tweek enjoying how Craig had to pull away from their kiss to gasp.

            “You _love_ it when I scratch at your back, don’t you?” Tweek purred, lips turned upward with a knowing smirk. He leaned up, sucking gently against Craig’s Adam’s apple.

            “D-Didn’t think I would, but _fuck_ , just knowing it’s you doing it makes it so _good_.” He choked out, eyes fluttering shut.

            “I want to touch you.” Tweek whispered against his skin, breath wavering as he fumbled to tug Craig’s boxers down. The boy on top of him laid down next to him, the both of them kicking their boxers off. It’s moments like this Craig doesn’t feel so scared about having sex with Tweek, because it’s moments like this that _Craig really **wants** to have sex with Tweek_. But he can’t, not now at least, and that’s okay, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t difficult not to. Craig bit down on his lip as he felt Tweek’s hand wrap around his dick, hand instinctively reaching out and grabbing onto Tweek’s. They both just sat there for a minute, breath shaky before their hands started moving slowly. It was an odd sensation, getting each other off and staring at each other, but it was special in a way. Considering they can’t have sex until they get to the ocean, this is the closest thing they can get to sex right now. It was hot under the blankets, but Tweek didn’t care (and Craig sure as hell didn’t care). Pressing sloppy kisses to each other’s lips and faces was the kind of stimulus Tweek needed. The feeling of Craig’s hand around him and his warm lips pressing kisses to him was so sensational, so exactly what he needed, that he couldn’t help but tug on Craig’s hair as he felt that warmth pool into his stomach.

            “There-there you go. I-I got you, baby.” Craig breathed out, noticing the way Tweek’s breathing became more rapid as he pulled gently on Craig’s hair. Whimpering, Tweek surged forward, whining against Craig’s lips.

            “ _Craig_!” He choked out between sloppy kisses as he came, Craig following suit. They kissed each other through their orgasms to muffle their groans, desperately trying not to wake the two other people in the room. Tweek’s face was flushed a bright red, breathing shaky as he tried to relax his racing heart. Craig was in a similar state, eyes half lidded as he looked at the boy in front of him. He chuckled after a bit, looking down at him.

            “You okay?” He murmured, Tweke nodding and nuzzling into the hand stroking his hair.

            “Wonderful,” he murmured, closing his eyes. “Should we move?” Craig thought a moment.

            “In a bit…I don’t even know if I can move right now.” He admitted, tugging the blankets down off their faces. The air was cold but so refreshing to their flushed faces.

            “I was _wondering_ why the room smelt like sex.” Stan grumbled, head poking over the edge of the bed. Craig snorted.

            “Morning, sweetie.” Craig teased, Stan tossing a pillow still on the bed at his face with a smirk.

            “Clean up, fuckers, we gotta get some food before we hit the road.” He chuckled, tossing over a towel to them both before heading into the bathroom where Wendy was brushing her teeth. They quickly cleaned themselves up before tugging on some clothes, making their way to the bathroom to get ready for the day. They checked out of their rooms an hour after waking up, everyone looking either hungover or just tired. Craig winced a bit as he saw Clyde’s bruised jaw, biting his lip as he walked over to him.

            “Hey, uh, can we talk?” Clyde glanced over at him before giving a curt nod, everyone else packing up the cars while they took a brief walk down the road. Not too far, however, since Craig needed to be within a certain range to hear. No one seemed to mind them leaving, knowing this conversation was inevitable. “Look…Clyde, _fuck_ , I’m really sorry about last night.” Clyde kept his eyes focused on the ground as they stopped at a bench, sitting down. Craig could see the gears turning in his head.

            “I just hate seeing you so mopey, dude,” He mumbled, fingers dancing on the tops of his thighs. “I watched you fall down that rabbit hole when we were fifteen. _Christ,_ you slit your god damn hand open!” He grabbed Craig’s left hand, turning it over to show the long scar on his palm. Craig stared at it, eyes closing for a moment.

            “I know, Clyde…that…wasn’t my proudest moment,” He mumbled, running his palms against his thighs. “But…I meant what I said. It-it’s _so hard_ being the only deaf kid in town. I-I talk with you guys but… _not really_. Christ, I couldn’t remember what you all sounded like until two months ago! I just made up voices in my head for you guys, but they all blended together! It… _it fucking sucks_ , Clyde. I just…I’m not ready to go back to a world of silence, okay? I’m sorry I took that frustration out on you, but you have to understand…” Clyde looked up at him, smiling sadly.

            “Of course I understand, dude,” He sat up, twisting so he faced Craig. “ _It was supposed to be a surprise_ …” Craig blinked, tears pooling into his eyes as he watched his best friend slowly sign.

            “ _Clyde, when did you…learn this…?”_ He signed back slowly, watching him focus on his hand’s movements.

            “ _I’ve been learning all school year. I was going to surprise you at some point. Probably for your birthday_.” Craig let out a soft laugh, a few tears falling down his cheeks.

            “ _That’s so gay, dude_.” Clyde let out a laugh, grinning at Craig.

            “ _It is, isn’t it? But I love you, Craig. You really are my best friend_.” He signed, Craig grinning back at him. He tugged him into a hug, face buried into his shoulder.

            “Thank you, Clyde.” He breathed out, gripping at his back. Clyde smiled into Craig’s shoulder, giving his shoulder a squeeze.

            “Come on, dude,” He murmured, both boys laughing softly as they realized they were _both_ crying. They reached out and wiped the tears that fell off each other’s faces, Clyde snorting. “This is so gay.”

            “Totally.” Craig chuckled, walking back to the parking lot. The cars were packed and ready to go. Craig and Clyde got in their respective cars, Tweek giving Craig a small smile as he got in the car.

            “Everything good?” He asked, giving Craig’s hand a squeeze as Wendy pulled out of the parking lot. Craig nodded.

            “Better than ever.” He murmured, kissing Tweek’s hair. They were officially ready for their next destination: Las Vegas.

* * *

 

The ride to Las Vegas took most of the day up, only stopping for the occasional bathroom/gas break and to eat. The rode down the Las Vegas strip around seven that night, Tweek kneeling on the backseat and looking around at all the bright lights. He had always heard of the “fabulous Las Vegas”, but he never thought it would be this extravagant. What surprised Tweek was the amount of church like buildings along the strip. He looked at Craig.

“Why are there so many churches?” Craig furrowed his brows, glancing around. He snorted once he figured out what he meant.

“They’re chapels. People go there to get hitched.”

“Hitched?” Craig smiled.

“Married.” They found another motel, but this one was slightly less sleazy as the one

from Utah. Once they were settled in, Kenny and Cartman burst into their room.

            “We wanna find a casino that lets eighteen year olds in!” Kenny yelled, jumping onto the bed where Stan and Tweek were sitting.

            “Good luck with that,” Wendy chuckled, looking at them both. “Vegas is twenty one and over.”

            “The motel lady told us some places don’t card!” Cartman added, jumping onto the bed Wendy and Craig sat on. He yelled out in surprise when Craig kicked the back of his leg, tumbling backwards onto the bed and immediately off from the bounce of the mattress. Wendy let out a laugh.

            “If you can get into a casino without getting carded, call us, and we’ll all join you. How does that sound?” Kenny jumped off the bed, helping Eric up.

            “Deal! Let’s go, dude!” They duo rushed off, Stan plopping back down onto the bed.

            “I don’t know if I can go out tonight. My head still hurts from yesterday.”

            “No one said you have to drink, Stan.” Wendy said, biting her lip.

            “I know. I just like to.” Tweek noticed the worried look on Wendy’s face, standing up.

            “Wanna take a walk, Wendy?” He asked, the raven haired girl nodding. After they were a considerable distance from the motel, he stopped walking. “Are you and Stan okay?” He whispered, rubbing his hands up and down her arms. She bit down on her lip, swallowing hard.

            “I-I just…worry. I know alcoholism is in his family, his dad struggling with it. We…just made things official not that long ago, and I try to encourage him not to drink but…I also don’t want to seem… _controlling_.” Tweek nodded slowly, smiling sadly.

            “I don’t think it’s controlling if he’s harming himself.” She sighed.

            “I know you’re right, Tweek, but it still feels like I’m taking away his fun…”

            “It isn’t fun to watch the one you love hurt himself…believe me…” Wendy flinched, nodding slowly.

            “Yeah…what-what should I tell him?” Tweek thought a moment.

            “Mention you think you’re worried. If alcoholism is in his family, then the signs of it probably aren’t as noticeable to him since it might be normal to him. If he’s willing to listen, maybe work something out where you just monitor how much he’s drinking. If you think he’s drinking too much, you get to switch his drink over to water.” Wendy blinked.

            “That…is _real_ good advice…thank you, Tweek.” He tugged her into a hug after giving her a small smile, rubbing her back.

            “It’s what I’m here for.” Wendy’s smile faulted a bit.

            “…not for much longer.” Tweek frowned, his eyes closing.

            “…I know.” He whispered, giving her hand a squeeze as they started heading back to the motel. When they got back to their room, Stan was asleep in their bed while Craig scrolled aimlessly through his phone, Tweek placing a light peck to his lips.

            “Enjoy your walk?” Tweek nodded.

            “It was nice.” Craig blinked as his phone buzzed, reading the text message. He snorted.

            “Well…they found one that doesn’t card,” He sat up, stretching his arms above his head. “I’m down for some blackjack. Tweek, you wanna come?” The blonde nodded, a small smile on his face.

            “I’ve always heard about casinos!”

            “Wendy?” She shook her head.

            “I’ll stay here with him. Maybe we’ll catch up with you guys later.” Tweek gave her a small smile and a nod of encouragement before leaving, the two of them meeting up with everyone else that was going: Kyle, Heidi, Clyde, Bebe, and Token. Jimmy didn’t feel like trekking to god knows where on his crutches.

            “Wendy and Stan are staying back. They’re in our room.” Craig told him before they all started walking to the address Kenny and Cartman sent them. Sure enough, the casino could’ve given two shits about them, letting them through without an issue. Kenny and Eric were at the roulette wheel, Eric chanting the number _twenty-three_ over and over again. He yelled out in frustration as they walked up, Token clapping a hand on his shoulder.

            “Twenty-three is your number, huh?”

            “It always is! It’ll hit! Just you wait! Impenetrable fortress, look!” He had his chips stacked around the red twenty three space, Craig snorting.

            “Okay, well, good luck with your fortress of solitude. I’m going to the blackjack table.” He gave Kenny a pat on the back, Eric as well when he passed, before Tweek, Kyle, and Heidi made their way over to the blackjack table. Plopping down, Kyle and Craig plopped some cash on the table, the busty dealer smiling at them.

            “You cuties been here before?” They shook their heads, the dealer grinning. “Always nice to see some new faces.” She said, dealing out two cards to the each of them. She flipped her two cards over before flipping theirs over, Kyle humming.

            “I’m going for it.” Craig raised an eyebrow.

            “You’re already at sixteen, dude.”

            “I have a good feeling.” Craig let out a soft laugh.

            “What the hell, I’m going for it.” He mumbled, leaning back into Tweek, who was hugging him from behind. The dealer hummed, flipping two cards over. Kyle was sent over twenty one, but Craig sat at nineteen. The dealer flipped a card over, totaling her at eighteen. Heidi whistled.

            “Damn, Tucker.” He laughed, the dealer sliding Craig a few chips. He smirked.

            “My dad played blackjack religiously every Thursday with some guys from work. That or poker.” He said, Tweek blinking.

            “So…you want to get to twenty one?”

            “Or as close as possible to it. Cards two through ten are their face value. Face cards are worth ten, and an ace can be worth either eleven or one. You want to beat the dealer by getting twenty one, which is called a blackjack. If no one reaches twenty one, the closest wins. If you go over twenty one, such as our buddy Kyle here did, you lose.” Tweek nodded slowly, Heidi nodding, too.

            “Oh! That’s…pretty simple.” Craig nodded, leaning against the palm of his hand as the dealer dealt out more cards.

            “That’s why a lot of people like it: it’s easy to learn.” They played blackjack for a little while longer, Kyle winning some of his money back and Craig losing a few times, but they both walked out winning a little over fifty bucks. They quickly cashed their chips in to get their cash, pocketing it and wandering over to the roulette wheel.

            “How’s it going over here?” Heidi asked, arm linked with Kyle’s.

            “Eric is out a hundred and sixty seven dollars.” Clyde laughed, Cartman and Kenny erupting into a fit of screams.

            “IT HIT TWENTY THREE!” Eric screamed, hugging Kenny close. The roulette attendant snickered, passing over the chips to Eric. “I’m done! Quitting while I’m ahead! Fuck yes! Three hundred dollars!” Kyle smirked a bit as he rushed off.

            “Need we remind him he lost a bunch of times before winning?” Bebe let out a laugh.

            “Let him have this one.” Craig watched them run off, turning back after a minute and freezing when he saw Tweek. He wasn’t sure what it was, but everything fell into place all of a sudden. Maybe it was the colorful lighting of the casino Maybe it was the nineteen seventy six one-hit wonder _Wham Bam Shang-A-Lang_ by Silver playing in the background. Maybe it was just the fact Craig was so utterly _in love_ with the boy in front of him. The lyrics were loud in his ears as he stared at Tweek, everything moving in slow motion.

            _Starry nights and sunny days_

_I always thought that love should be that way_

_But then comes a time when you’re ridden with doubt_

_You’ve loved all you can and now you’re all loved out_

As they left the casino, Craig grabbed Tweek’s hand, stopping him in his tracks. The blonde turned to look at him.

            “You okay?” Tweek asked, smiling up at him.

            _Oh Oh Baby we’ve been a long long way_

_And who’s to say where we’ll be tomorrow_

            “I have an idea...you might think I’m crazy…but…hear me out…” He leaned over, whispering into Tweek’s ear. He grinned slowly as Craig spoke, nodding at his boyfriend as he pulled away to look back at his face.

            _Well my heart says no but my mind says it’s so_

_That we got a love that isn’t a love to stay_

            “Okay.” He whispered back, squeezing his hands.

            _We’ve got a wham, bam, shang-a-lang_

_And a sha-la-la-la-la-la babe_

_Wham bam shang-a-lang_

_And a sha-la-la-la-la-la babe_

Craig blinked, cheeks turning a dark red.

            “Are…are you sure? We don’t have to.” Tweek grinned slowly, leaning up on his tip toes to press a soft kiss to his lips.

            _Lookin’ at you I wanted to say_

_I think a little emotion goes a long long way_

_But careful now don’t get caught in your dreams_

_Look out baby this is not what it seems_

            “I’ve never been more sure about anything.”

* * *

 

Everyone was relaxing in Craig, Tweek, Wendy, and Stan’s room when they walked in, everyone looking at the couple.

            “Wh-where were you-you l-love birds?” Jimmy asked, smirking. Tweek let out a nervous laugh, sitting down between Craig’s legs once he sat down.

            “We took a walk. I wanted to see some of the shops near the casino.”

            “That’s where you two went? I thought you snuck off to fuck or something.” Eric said, fanning himself with the money he won. Bebe kicked his side.

            “You know they can’t do that yet!” She chuckled, settling back into Clyde’s embrace. Tweek laughed softly at the altercation, cuddling into Craig’s chest. They all fell into a quiet conversation, starting to make a list of things to do while in LA. The entire time they spoke, Craig and Tweek were stealing glances to each other, smiling and giggling softly amongst themselves. No one paid much attention to it since it was typical of them, but the two boys were surprised that no one ever brought up the gold bands that sat on their ring fingers.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm gonna do a little dance in my bed because I have listened to "Wham Bam Shang-A-Lang" for about four hours now and because I HAVE HAD THIS CHAPTER IN MIND FOR WEEKS AND IT FINALLY HAPPENED! Hope you all enjoyed this! The response to this story has been so overwhelming and I want to thank you all for the love and support you've shown me. I was nervous to write this story at first because I know there are a lot of similarities between this and (now an academy award winning movie) "The Shape of Water", and I know people are weird sometimes about mermaids, but just know I love you all for taking a chance with this story. However, we aren't done yet, so buckle up kiddos!!! Thanks again for reading, and as always, any and all feedback is appreciated!   
> Songs:   
> Wham Bam Shang-A-Lang-Silver: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5iSEdo5VNI


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I made a spotify playlist that contains all songs mentioned in this fic! Check it out!  
> https://open.spotify.com/user/3s69p2v4dhp8wrha527fv9enm/playlist/42OaZiMQoHPWPBydpHxUf9?si=sSHAYb9QRueDflEfVEeBDw
> 
> Check out my twitter!  
> https://twitter.com/craigorytucker
> 
> Check out my tumblr!  
> crowded-skies.tumblr.com

When you’re growing up, your parents always tell you how _good_ it feels to find someone you really love. Craig never thought he’d find someone he’d feel that strongly about. He always had the depressing thought of dying young, that way he never had to grow old all alone. Now, he doesn’t feel that way anymore. Not with Tweek curling himself further into Craig’s arms. He smiled at the blonde, placing a light kiss to his forehead before staring out the window. Today, they’d reach Los Angeles, which meant within the next forty eight to seventy two hours, Craig would be saying good-bye to Tweek. His heart twisted in his chest, stomach dropping as he squeezed his eyes back shut. _No…don’t think about that…not yet, at least_. Tweek stirred awake, yawning and stretching his arms above his head. Craig smiled a bit as he opened his eyes, catching sight of the gold band on his ring finger. Reaching out, he gently took ahold of Tweek’s hand, placing a gentle kiss to the ring. The blonde chuckled.

            “Morning.” He whispered, Craig lacing their fingers together.

            “Hey, hon.” He whispered back, pressing a quick kiss to his lips before sitting up onto the edge of the bed.

            “Wait a minute,” Tweek groaned, crawling over to Craig’s side of the bed and onto his lap, wrapping his legs around his waist. “I didn’t say you could get up.” He pouted, arms wrapped around Craig’s neck. The raven haired boy chuckled, smiling softly.

            “We have to leave earlier today to make sure we get to LA.” He murmured, wrapping his arms tightly around Tweek’s waist. He pouted, pressing himself flush against Craig’s chest.

            “No fair. I can’t cuddle my husband?” Craig practically melted under the combination of the feeling of Tweek’s fingers playing with the hairs at the base of his neck and the fact he used the word _husband_. Nuzzling his nose gently into Tweek’s cheek, he grinned, letting out a soft laugh.

            “Stan has first driving shift. I’ll cuddle you in the car, alright?” He ran his hands up the underside of Tweek’s shirt, feeling the warmth radiate from him. Tweek hooked his chin over the spot where Craig’s neck met his shoulder, closing his eyes.

            “M’kay.” He mumbled, scratching lightly at Craig’s scalp. He always loved resorting Craig to putty in his hands. It felt good having that much power over someone, but a positive power. A lovely power. They sat like that for a little longer before Craig let out a heavy sigh.

            “Come on,” He pressed a peck to his cheek. “And try to hide your ring best you can.” He added, Tweek pressing his index and middle finger to his temple in a sort of salute as he got up to get ready for the day. Craig smirked a bit, sitting there a moment longer as he craved the warmth of his husband back, but stood up eventually to get ready. Once everyone was packed up and ready to go, they stopped to get breakfast before leaving Las Vegas. They went to a diner, per usual, everyone chatting quietly as they sat there waiting for their food. Suddenly, Kenny gasped, thrusting his phone into Craig’s face.

            “Dude! Ninja Sex Party released a new song!” Craig snorted, pushing his phone away.

            “I know. I listened to it while getting ready this morning.” Tweek blinked.

            “What…do I even want to know?” Stan let out a laugh.

            “It’s some band that these two got into when they hooked up.”

            “I found them by accident, but the singer is cute as shit _and_ I think Craig sounds _exactly like him_!”

            “Dude, I told you, I don’t sound like him!” Craig whined, letting his head fall back. Kyle snorted.

            “I only like a few of their songs, but you do sound like him.” He added, Craig flushing a bright red. Bebe snickered.

            “It’s a compliment, Craig, learn to take one!”

            “I know it’s a compliment but, I don’t know, I just…never really heard my singing voice until a month ago…” They all blinked, smiling a bit.

            “Look, I listened to one song of theirs, and I agree with Kenny.” Wendy said, sipping at her orange juice as their food came. Craig snorted.

            “I-why?! You never agree with Kenny!”

            “Which is saying something if I agree with him.” She said with a smirk, eyebrow raised. Craig opened his mouth but snapped it shut, turning his attention back to his food. Tweek smiled, giving his thigh a squeeze under the table.

            “Now I’m interested to hear you sing one of their songs.” Craig glanced over at him.

            “…yeah?” He breathed out, clearly flustered from all the compliments tossed his way. Tweek thought it was adorable. He nodded.

            “They’ve peaked my interest.” Craig chuckled at that, sighing.

            “Alright-alright fine. Before we leave, we’ll crank a song up in my car and I’ll sing it.” Kenny snorted.

            “Crank? Jesus, Craig, I know you love the 80’s, but come on.” He yelled out in surprise when Craig kicked him in the shin, smirking a bit though. After they ate and paid for their bill, everyone seemed a little _too_ _excited_ in Craig’s opinion. They all gathered around his car, practically surrounding it. _So, there’s no way to get out of this without killing someone_. Craig thought, trying to figure out an escape plan. It’s not that he didn’t like singing, he just hated singing in public like this and for so many people. He’s fine singing to maybe four people tops, but not eleven of his friends and anyone happening to be walking past.

            “So, what’s it gonna be, Tucker?” Bebe teased, Craig flushing red. He grumbled, tugging Kenny’s phone from his hand as he passed it over to him. He saw the song choice and sighed, plugging it into the aux cord.

            “You’re lucky I learn songs quickly, McCormick.” He said, Kenny holding up a finger.

            “Say _everything_. The dialogue and all.” Craig grunted, climbing into the back seat after he pressed play and standing on the seat. Tweek climbed into the passenger’s seat, kneeling on it as he watched Craig slowly get into the song. They were right: he sounds _exactly like_ this guy. By the time the chorus came around, Craig had finally loosened up, everyone staring in awe at the similarities between their voices. Craig turned around at one point, pressing a quick kiss to Tweek’s lips during an instrumental break in the song. Tweek was flustered, Craig moving his hips _way too much_. He didn’t care about that, but the fact the song was already sexual made it difficult for Tweek to not jump his bones right then and there. As the song faded, Craig flipped everyone off with a small smirk.

            “I still don’t hear the resemblance!”

“You’re deaf if you don’t hear the-” Kenny stopped himself, Craig raising an eyebrow with an amused smirk.

“McCormick, that was _the stupidest thing_ you’ve ever said, and there’s a lot of stupid

things.” Craig laughed, Tweek flushed red. Bebe snorted.

“You alright, Tweek?”

“Huh? Oh! Y-Yeah! Just…been awhile since I’ve thought about orgies.” They stared at the blonde, eyes wide.

“What do you mean it’s _been awhile since you thought about orgies?_ ” Kenny hissed, eyes wide. Tweek blushed.

“Mermaids are known for having orgies.” Kenny had to grab Stan and Kyle’s arm to stable himself, letting out a fake sob. Token rolled his eyes.

“Why do you guys have…orgies?”

“Well, when we enter heat, sometimes a lot of people need to mate at the same time. Since we’re all super close, sometimes people will just choose to mate in large groups.” Cartman slammed his fist on the back of Craig’s car.

            “Christ, Eric, don’t dent my fucking car!”

            “Sorry! But _shit_ you can’t go talking about mermaid orgies at ten in the morning!” Tweek snorted.

            “You’re the ones that made Craig sing a song about one.” Kenny narrowed his eyes.

            “Touché, Tweek…touché.” Craig snickered.

 “Alright, let’s go, fuckers! We got to hit the fucking road!” He laughed, plopping down in the backseat. Tweek climbed over to sit next to him, smiling up at him as Stan and Wendy got in the car. He leaned his head against Craig’s shoulder, the ride relatively silent for a while since everyone wanted to enjoy the weather. They fell into soft conversation, but Tweek had a sense of sadness and joy as they passed a sign hours later: _Welcome to California_.

* * *

 

They were staying at Craig’s Uncle’s beach house in Long Beach, but unfortunately he couldn’t be there to see them. He was nice enough, however, to still let Craig house himself and his friends there. Craig put a reminder in the back of his head to thank his Uncle Jack and take the time to come out and visit him once he was back from his business trip. Once they turned down the street, which was quiet and private, Tweek tensed up, tears forming into his eyes. _Waves_. He could hear the waves from the street as they pulled up, stumbling out of the car.

            “Tweek, wait!” Wendy shouted. He couldn’t. He needed to feel the ocean. Running as fast as his legs would carry him, Tweek rushed around the back of the house to where it sat on the beach, sobs wracking his body as he let articles of clothing fall into the sand behind him as he ran. He stopped to kick his shoes off and tug his pants down, but continued to run towards the ocean once he was in his boxers. It was cold, but it was _home_. He waded out to his chest, eyes burning from the salt at first. It’s been so long since he was in salt water, but he fucking _missed it_. He heard someone getting in the ocean behind him, turning to see Craig wading out to him. His face flushed red as he realized something: _they could technically have sex_. Choking back a yelp, Tweek just smiled at his husband, nuzzling into the hands that cupped his face.

            “We made it.” Craig whispered, smiling sadly at him. Tweek nodded, smiling sadly back at him.

            “Y-Yeah…it…it’s bitter sweet.” He murmured, sniffling a bit. Craig kissed his forehead, keeping his lips there as he thought.

            “Whenever you’re ready, Tweek…I know…I know you must be eager to go home…” Tweek’s heart twisted into a knot in his chest, those words so meaningful to him. He swallowed hard, burying his face into Craig’s shoulder, his eyes wide.

            “ _Fuck_ ,” He choked out, nails digging into Craig’s back. “I-I…I-I don’t know.” Craig rubbed his back.

            “It’s okay. Sit out here for a bit while I help everyone get settled in, okay? Think about what you want to do.” Tweek nodded, watching him head back to the shore. He wasn’t sure how long he stayed in the water, but it was sunset when he went into the water and dark when he got out. Walking back to the house, he silently thanked Craig for grabbing his clothes on the way in. Once he was inside, he looked around. It was large, but cozy somehow. He smiled as he noticed childhood pictures of Craig and Tricia, even some of his uncle and his dad. _Thomas’ brother, then_. The house was quiet, chatter coming from the basement. He wandered down the steps slowly, everyone relaxing and playing video games. Craig was curled up in a recliner with a blanket on his lap, cigarette between his lips. He caught sight of Tweek, smiling tiredly at him, eyes half lidded. Tweek smiled a bit as he walked over, sitting down in Craig’s lap. He grimaced.

            “What?” Tweek giggled. Craig tugged the cigarette out of his mouth.

            “Your boxers are still soaked.” Tweek blushed, climbing under the blanket with Craig and kicking his boxers off, Tweek giggling at how red Craig got.

            “Fixed it.” Tweek said, settling against Craig’s chest. His husband let out a laugh, putting his cigarette out. He pressed a kiss to his temple.

            “You decide on anything?” He murmured, rubbing his hand up and down his arm. Tweek nodded.

            “After we visit some places…I-I want to. Not-not tomorrow, but the next day.” He breathed out, looking up at Craig. _Okay_ , Craig thought. _Roughly forty eight hours left._ He nodded.

            “Sounds good.” He croaked out, trying not to let his emotions consume him. Not now, at least. He needed to be strong. This wasn’t easy for Tweek, either, and he knew that. This needs to happen, however, and Craig knows that as well. Closing his eyes, he let out a shaky breath. _Doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt any less_.

* * *

 

As dawn came around, Craig found himself awake. He was the first one up in the house, so he took the opportunity to do something he hasn’t done in a long time: surf. Craig learned how to surf one year when they spent a majority of the summer down here. His Uncle had bought him a surfboard and wet suit to keep at the house once he saw how much Craig enjoyed it, which Craig was incredibly thankful for. Heading towards the garage after finding and putting on the wet suit, Craig smiled a bit as he saw his surfboard hanging on the wall. It was royal blue, much like half the things Craig owned, but it had the planets all lined up on it. It was the best gift Craig had ever received. Tucking it under his arm, he made his way out towards the ocean, the sun just fully coming up. It was only seven thirty am, but Craig wanted to be awake for as long as he could. It was Tweek’s last full day here, anyways. Pushing the thought aside, Craig let his board drop once he was far enough out in the water, eyes looking out over the horizon. There was no one in sight, and it’s just how Craig liked it. He hopped on top of the board, laying on his stomach as he paddled his way out into the water. It was relatively calm for the moment, but he knew the waves would come. He sat up once far enough out, legs hanging in the water. He watched the horizon still, eyes eventually dropping to the ocean lapping at his lap.

            “You just had to hide the most incredible human being from me for years, huh?” He murmured, smiling sadly at the water. “Can’t you just…get all the mermaids to come on land? So his parents can be with him?” He asked the water, groaning after a moment. He laid back down on his stomach, chin resting on his forearm. “No. Forget that, I can’t ask you to eradicate an entire species,” He grumbled, pouting a bit. Pushing himself back up to a sitting position, Craig looked back out at the horizon, sighing. “Just…promise me you’ll take care of him…he’s the most incredible thing to ever happen to me…and I want you to make sure he’s happy, okay? He deserves happiness, ya know,” He smiled a bit, closing his eyes as the sun’s warmth hit his back. “Tweek deserves everything…because he _is_ everything.” Opening his eyes back up, Craig could see swells forming into waves over the horizon, smirking slightly. He turned the board around, paddling when he felt the wave begin to pull at him. Once he had enough momentum to carry him forward, he grabbed the edge of the board, steadying himself as he pushed up and pulled his feet under his body. Once his feet were firmly planted, he straightened his back out, getting lost as he let the ocean carry him back towards the shore. Tweek and Wendy had wandered out onto the back porch with coffees in hand, looking out over the ocean. Tweek blinked, watching the person surfing.

            “He’s cute.” Wendy murmured, the face of the surfer hard to make out.

            “Yeah…he is.” Tweek said, smiling a bit. They watched the surfer for what felt like hours, Kyle, Heidi, and Kenny even joining them on the porch to watch.

            “Damn, wish I could do that.” Kenny murmured, watching him. Kyle hummed, arm wrapped around Heidi.

            “You could. Maybe we can ask the guy to teach you how.” Kyle teased, Kenny letting out a laugh.         

            “Right. Ask a stranger for surf lessons.” He chuckled, turning his attention back to the surfer. The guy was standing on the shore now, pushing his wet suit down to his waist.

            “ _Damn_.” Wendy and Heidi said at the same time, Tweek leaning his cheek on the palm of his hand, elbow resting on the railing. He watched him pick the board up, Tweek grinning slowly as he recognized that body anywhere (that, and the fact Craig had a birth mark on his left side that was unique to him). Kyle blinked.

            “Holy shit, it’s _Craig_.” They all blinked and watched as Craig walked past them, still blissfully unaware of his friends and husband watching him. He walked around to the garage, tossing the board down and undoing the Velcro strap around his ankle. When he stood back up, he jumped in surprise to see Tweek, Wendy, Heidi, Kyle, and Kenny staring at him.

            “Uh…morning.”

            “So, when were you going to tell us you could surf?” Kenny said, arms crossed over his chest. Craig shrugged.

            “Didn’t think I had to.” He mumbled, hanging his board back up to drip dry. He started taking off his wet suit.

            “Could you teach me?” Kenny asked, eyes bright. Craig snorted.

            “Sure, dude. I don’t know when, but I will if you really want.” He chuckled, hanging the wet suit up. Kenny tossed a fist into the air.

            “Ballin’.” Craig wrapped an arm around Tweek, the blonde feeling how tense his muscles were when he wrapped his arm around him. He frowned, looking up at Craig.

            “Craig…?” He whispered as they walked back into the house.

            “Hmm?”

            “You’re tense…” Craig sighed, smiling weakly.

            “Just…bummed…alright? It…I’ll be fine,” He pressed a quick kiss to his lips. “Don’t worry about me, okay? Go get ready for the day.” Tweek nodded, heading towards their room. Craig went to the bathroom to get a shower, letting the water run cold over his skin. It felt good, his face flushed from frustration already. He didn’t want his time with Tweek to end. It couldn’t. Not yet. They just got hitched, for Christ’s sake! Leaning his forehead against the cool tile of the shower, Craig closed his eyes, swallowing the lump in his throat. For today, he wouldn’t mope. He won’t let his last full day with Tweek go by with him sulking around. Craig was going to be supportive, into the activities they had planned, and loving as he can be. Tomorrow was a beast of its own, and he’d figure out his emotions for tomorrow later.

* * *

 

They did all the clichéd stops: the Walk of Fame, Chinatown, Rodeo Drive, Hollywood Boulevard. They had just finished eating a delicious dinner when Eric (to everyone’s surprise) suggested hiking up towards the Hollywood sign. As they made their way up, Craig kept stealing glances out towards the city, the view absolutely incredible. That’s what he really cared about. That and staring at Tweek whenever he could. Once they got to the top, the lights of the city were starting to come on, the sun setting over the horizon. Craig’s stomach dropped, knowing full well that in about twelve or so hours, the process of getting Tweek home was going to start. He was excited to see him go home, but dreading the idea of watching him actually _go_. Tweek wrapped his arms around Craig, nuzzling his nose against the side of the neck.

            “Quit thinking so hard, you’re going to get wrinkles.” He mumbled, Craig chuckling a bit.

            “I know, I know. I’m sorry.” Tweek smiled.

            “It’s okay,” He ran his left hand up to play the hairs at the base of his neck. “Just…enjoy it. We can cuddle all fucking night if that’s what you want.” Craig sincerely smiled at that, nodding slowly.

            “I’d love to.” He murmured, pressing a gentle kiss to Tweek’s lips. Knowing he only had a small amount of these left to give him made his heart twist up, but he pushed through the bursts of sadness in order to remain happy for the day. Kyle glanced over at them, blinking as he saw the gold band on Tweek’s finger reflect off the sunlight. Letting his eyes wander, he saw a similar band on Craig’s ring finger, a small smile tugging at his lips. When the boys turned, Tweek caught Kyle’s gaze, the red head holding up his left hand and pointing quickly to his ring finger. Tweek knew what it meant, his face flushing as red as Kyle’s hair. He went to speak, but Kyle shook his head. He held his index finger up to his lips, winked, and turned his attention back towards Heidi as they looked over the city. Tweek smiled a bit at that, glancing back up at Craig instead of the city. The sun made his blue eyes look almost green from the colors of the sunset. His olive skin was glowing from the fiery orange light, his hair blowing slightly from the cool breeze. Tweek felt a lump settle in his throat, reaching out and lacing his fingers with Craig’s. The taller boy looked down at him, offering a small smile and a squeeze of the hand before looking back out at the city. _Yeah_ , Tweek thought, leaning his head on Craig’s shoulder as he watched the sun drop below the horizon. _Tomorrow is going to sting_.  

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look, this was just a filler chapter, I didn't edit this, and I'm sorry this chapter is kinda lame, but tomorrow is the big day! Tweek goes home! But not before getting laid first ;) If you haven't figured it out, I'm a huge Ninja Sex Party/Game Grumps fan (some of ya'll caught my reference last chapter with the 23!), and I've been jamming to NSP's new song all day! ALSO! THIS IS OFFICIALLY MY MOST POPULAR STORY! The views surpassed Falling with Grace today and I am so thrilled ya'll loved this story so much!!! Hope you somewhat enjoyed this chapter, and as always, any and all feedback is appreciated!  
> Song:  
> Orgy for One-Ninja Sex Party: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpgRE8cbVpc (please check the video out and support these lovely men!!!)


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I made a spotify playlist that contains all songs mentioned in this fic! Check it out!  
> https://open.spotify.com/user/3s69p2v4dhp8wrha527fv9enm/playlist/42OaZiMQoHPWPBydpHxUf9?si=sSHAYb9QRueDflEfVEeBDw
> 
> Check out my twitter!  
> https://twitter.com/craigorytucker
> 
> Check out my tumblr!  
> crowded-skies.tumblr.com

It was already bad enough that it was the day Craig had to say goodbye to Tweek, but what made it even _worse_ was waking up to the sound of someone _blasting_ Europe’s _The Final Countdown_. Grumbling, he pushed himself out of bed, tossing the door open.

            “Who _the fuck_ is playing Europe at this hour?!” He yelled, leaning over the railing to look down in the living room. He froze, blinking as he saw his Uncle Jack sitting on the couch with Clyde, Kenny, and Stan.

            “Oh, hey, kiddo! Thought you’d be awake by now.” Jack laughed, tossing his head back. Jack Tucker was the epitome of a man: tall, long legs, broad shoulders, thick beard, rich, successful, charming, handsome, and an overall nice guy. He had bright red hair (just like his brother) and stood at six foot five. Craig smirked a bit.

            “Business trip, huh?”

            “I convinced my boss to let me come home early. I really didn’t want to miss seeing my nephew.” He chuckled, sipping at his drink. Despite the hour, Craig knew it was a Moscow Mule. Tweek appeared behind Craig, rubbing his eyes with hair pointing in every direction.

            “Craig, what’s going on?” he mumbled, nuzzling his face into his shoulder. Craig blushed, catching the way his uncle grinned slowly. He turned his attention to Tweek, wrapping his arm around him.

            “My uncle came back.” He murmured into his hair, rubbing his back. Tweek blinked, pulling away and looking at the red haired man. He smiled, leaning over the railing and waving.

            “H-Hi, Mr. Craig’s uncle! Thanks for letting us use your house!” He yelled down to him, Jack’s shoulders shaking as he laughed.

            “My pleasure! Seems like you and my nephew are quite cozy.” Kyle smirked a bit at that, glancing up to see both Craig and Tweek’s faces turn a dark red.

            “U-Uh, yes! Yes, sir!” He let out a nervous laugh, Craig guiding him towards the stairs so they could join them. Once they got downstairs, Craig went to the living room while Tweek got his coffee, the blonde joining them once he had the drink in his hand. Jack smirked a bit, noticing his pointed ears. He didn’t say anything at first, sipping at his drink.

            “What’s your name, kid?” He asked him, Tweek blinking.

            “Tweek, sir.”

            “Jack…call me Jack.”

            “Yes-yes, Jack.” He breathed out, smiling a bit. Jack looked him up and down, smirking a bit.

            “Do me a favor, Tweek?”

            “Yeah?”

            “Think fast for me?” Tweek blinked, watching Jack toss his drink towards Craig. Yelping, he reached a hand out, the liquid suspended inches from Craig’s face. Blushing, he returned the liquid to his glass, the man letting out a soft laugh. “Your Mary’s son.” Tweek stared at him, eyes wide as his hands started shaking slightly. Craig gently took the mug of coffee from his hands, setting it on the table.

            “Y-you…you know m-my mom?”

            “And your father,” He sipped at his drink, everyone looking at him at this point. “They took a risk in exposing themselves to me when I went sailing one day a few months back. They asked me if they had seen you. Said you were around eighteen years old, blonde hair, olive green tail…the name was so unique, I thought for sure I could’ve found you.” Craig stared at his uncle, mouth open slightly.

            “So…you know where his parents are?”

            “Oh, yes. They’re actually very good friends of mine now. But…they had to leave a month ago to go somewhere else. The area in which you lived started getting more boat traffic due to someone diving and accidentally seeing a mermaid. More people wanted to see for themselves if this was all true or not, so they had to leave quickly. The last time I saw them was about a month ago…they had just contacted _you_ , actually.” Tweek blinked.

            “You’re the boat they mentioned…” He whispered, unshed tears in his eyes. Jack smirked.

            “That would be me,” Jack chuckled, finishing his drink and setting the glass down. “Your friends here wouldn’t give me too much information on the reason as to why you were here…care to explain, boys?” Tweek and Craig looked at each other, tongues suddenly feeling too heavy to move as they tried to tell Craig’s uncle they came here to _have sex_ pretty much.

            “They have to fuck to get Tweek’s tail back.” Kenny said, typing away on his phone. Both boys yelled out in surprise, Tweek taking some of the water out of Clyde’s glass and smacking Kenny with it. Kyle and Jack let out a laugh, Kyle covering his mouth as Kenny glared at him.

            “You’re quite blunt, aren’t you?” Jack laughed, Kenny smirking.

            “That’s what I’m know for: bluntness. Both with weed and in conversation.”

            “ _Jesus Christ_.” Craig groaned, dropping his face into his hands. Jack turned to him.

            “So…you gotta-”

            “ _Yes._ In order for Tweek to get his tail back, he has to… _consummate_ our love in the waters in which we met.” Jack blinked.

            “When…did you meet?”

            “Remember that time I got hit in the head by the sails the one time you didn’t come with us on the boat?” Jack snorted a bit, but smiled.

            “Oh. _That_ time. Yes.”

            “Well…Tweek was there. He saved me. I was so disoriented that I couldn’t move, so he pushed me up to the surface and stayed with me until my dad could turn the boat around…I thought he had been a dream all this time but…he was at the aquarium in South Park.”

            “I-I had been captured,” Tweek said, lifting his coffee mug back up and taking a few gulps. God, he was going to miss coffee in liquid form. “Craig…well, with him being deaf, he knew sign language. All mermaids know sign language because we use it as a form of communication when humans are nearby. We communicated through the glass for a while, but we had a friend who worked at the aquarium, Wendy. She’s here actually, but she helped us get together and they eventually got me out. It was a mess. I was transferred to Denver at one point, Craig was banned from the aquarium and dyed his hair, he beat up the kid that tricked me so they could capture me…oh! He was shot on the way here!” Craig snorted, rolling his shoulders back.

            “It’s still sore.” He chuckled, his uncle blinking.

            “So…you gave up your tail because you…?”

            “I…really, _really_ love Craig and…wanted to spend time with him. I was trapped to a small pool of salt water and there was so much to see and _do_ and I…well, I knew I was going to need to come home eventually. It would be so difficult trying to travel to here with me being confined to a tank…so, I gave my tail up in hopes of Craig reciprocating my love and… _he did_.” Tweek looked out at Craig, feeling breathless as they smiled at each other. Jack hummed, nodding slowly.

            “Makes sense…so…when are you…?”

            “Today.” Craig mumbled, running a hand through his hair. Jack frowned a bit.

            “I just met _the_ son of Mary and Richard and he’s already gotta go?” He teased a bit, Tweek smiling sadly.

            “I…I’ll be back…,” He glanced over at Craig. “You can count on that.”

* * *

 

After everyone woke up and got situated, they all rode over to the marina where Jack kept his boat. Since no one knew how to navigate a boat, Jack offered to help, despite Craig thinking it was weird his uncle was technically helping him _get laid_. Shaking the thought aside, he climbed aboard the boat, wincing as a dull pain appeared behind his eyes. He thought back to that day, Tricia suddenly in front of him. She was rushing up to their mom, Laura applying sunscreen to her pale cheeks. Craig was sitting in the back with his dad, who was starting to get the boat set up. He jumped back to reality once Eric spoke.

            “So…what are we to do while you two… _have_ -”

            “Shut it!” Bebe hissed, elbowing him.

            “Ow!” He hissed, rubbing his arm.

            “Just…entertain yourselves.” Craig mumbled, plopping into a seat towards the back of the boat. He watched his uncle prepare the sails, Clyde sitting next to him.

            “You okay?” He whispered to him, everyone going to find a spot on the sailboat. The boat was pretty large, spots for seating towards the front and back with a cabin to sit, sleep, and cook in. Craig smiled weakly, shrugging.

            “Could be better.” He admitted, glancing up towards the front of the boat where Tweek sat with the girls.

            “I…look, whatever happens today…just know we’re all still here for you, man.” Craig blinked, the sincerity in Clyde’s voice touching his heart. He hummed.

            “Thanks, dude.” He murmured, standing to help his uncle get the ropes off the docks. He took his seat back next to Clyde as they pushed off the docks. Craig kept his gaze on the disappearing horizon, his stomach sinking lower and lower the further they went out to sea. Swallowing the lump forming in his throat, he focused on the now, not the later. Token climbed to the back of the boat, sitting across from Clyde and Craig.

            “You holding up?” He put a hand on Craig’s knee. He sighed, shrugging.

            “… _no_.” He admitted, wrapping his arms tight around himself.

            “I know this is hard…”

            “This is the most difficult thing I’ve ever had to do, Token,” He whispered, eyes shining with unshed tears. Jack tried not to listen, but he really couldn’t avoid _not_ listening to the conversation. “He…he’s been everything I’ve ever wanted and…I-I have to just… _let him go_ like nothing ever happened between us…” He bit his lip to keep from talking further, right hand instinctively covering the ring on his finger.

            “We know…and-and we’ll make sure to come back out here once more before the end of the summer, yeah? Another road trip? Maybe just you, me, Clyde, and Jimmy this time?” Craig smiled a bit at that idea.

            “Yeah…that…that could be arranged.” He murmured, suddenly hissing in pain. It felt like there were needles behind his eyes as he saw his father at the helm of the ship. He saw his mother beckoning to him. He saw the look of horror on her face. He felt the sharp pain in his head. Grabbing the back of his head, he yelled out as it felt like he had just been hit by the sail. Clyde blinked.

            “Dude, what’s-”

            “Stop! This-this is the place!” He gasped out, his uncle, nodding and killing the engine and dropping the anchor. It wasn’t a particularly windy day, so the light breeze just rattled the sails lightly. Tweek looked at Craig, hands shaking as they just stared at each other for a moment. Everything suddenly became really _tense_. Everyone knew what was about to happen once they were in the water, but it was conflicting. Although awkward to know their friends were _having sex_ in the waters below them…it was _bittersweet_. They had all come to know Tweek, and this hurt them just as much as it hurt Craig. Well, _not as much_ as it hurt Craig. Craig walked towards the front of the ship where Tweek was sitting, the blonde standing as Craig got to him. He swallowed hard, hand going up to Craig’s face.

            “Are…are you ready?” He whispered, waves crashing against the side of the ship. Craig looked Tweek’s face up and down.

            “No…I’ll never really be ready…,” He pressed their lips together gently, taking in a deep breath as he kissed him. He sighed when he pulled away, tugging his shirt up over his head. “But we need to get you home.” Tweek blushed, nodding. He slowly undressed, both boys stopping once they were in their underwear. Tweek paused for a moment, looking back at everyone in the boat with them. He swallowed hard, rushing over to toss his arms around Wendy. She let out a soft sob, gripping at his back.

            “B-Be safe, yeah?” She whispered, smiling sadly. He nodded, everyone coming over to give him one last hug. It was a wonderful feeling to Tweek. Knowing he had so many friends on land _and_ sea made him feel like the most special mermaid in the ocean. He knew he was going to say goodbye once more after his tail was back, but he wanted to hug them all anyways, just because he still could. He gave Kyle’s hand a squeeze before turning back to Craig, mouthing a silent ‘ _thank you_ ’ to him. No words were exchanged, but it spoke volumes to Kyle. Craig held his hand out to Tweek, the blonde grabbing his hand and giving it a tight squeeze. He took one last look out at the water, smiling sadly as he swallowed the lump in his throat.

            “O-Okay,” He choked out, looking up at Craig with teary eyes. “I’m…I’m ready.” A few tears fell down his face, but he noticed Craig had some, too. His husband smiled sadly at him, giving him a nod. Hand in hand, their legs moved together, pushing off the front of the boat as they jumped. It seemed so slow to Craig, the sound of the water breaking under their feet not louder than the sound of his heart in his ears. He was scared. Scared that maybe he was going to fail Tweek. What if they consummated their love, but nothing happened? What if the rules he had been told were a lie? What if Craig’s love wasn’t strong enough for the mermaid gods (or whatever)? _No…you love him…more than anything…you love him_. As they sank lower and lower to the bottom, Tweek turned to bury his face into Craig’s neck, both boys shedding their boxers on the way down, letting the garments go. Craig didn’t care that they were lost to the sea now. All he could focus on was his husband in front of him. _God, his husband_. Craig was still in disbelief that he _married_ Tweek, but he doesn’t regret it. Oh no, this is something Craig Tucker will _never_ regret. Their feet hit the soft sands of the bottom, their hair pooling around their faces in soft waves. Tweek looked so beautiful here, his natural habitat. So natural. So _perfect_. Leaning down, Craig pressed a quick peck to his lips, leaving their foreheads pressed together. Tweek brushed their lips together, hands gripping at Craig’s back. He watched as Craig swallowed hard, throat bobbing.

            “How…what should we-”

            “Treat it how you normally would…it’s okay.” He whispered, Craig nodding. Leaning up on his tiptoes, Tweek pressed their lips together again, finger nails digging lightly into Craig’s back. He shivered, pressing his lips harder against Tweek’s. Taking a step closer and pressing their chests together, Tweek wrapped his arms around Craig’s neck, sighing softly into the kiss. Craig wrapped his arms around Tweek’s waist, pulling away slightly.

            “Lie down.” He murmured, Tweek nodding. They let their legs fall out from under them, settling gently into the white sands beneath them. Settling between Tweek’s legs, Craig started sucking and kissing lightly at his neck, trying to focus on the now and not the aftermath. He had been craving this level of intimacy for months and _dammit_ he was going to enjoy every second of it. Hearing Tweek gasp and moan beneath him encouraged him to keep moving, lips trailing down to suck lightly at each nipple. Despite being underwater, no water filled his mouth. Well, at least it felt that way. It was odd, to say the least, but comforting knowing Tweek was there causing all of this. He let his hands roam over Tweek’s body, giving his thighs a tight squeeze as he got to his hips.

            “H-How do you-you want to go about doing this?” Tweek breathed out, eyes fluttering shut. Craig hummed against the skin of his hip, nuzzling his nose against the bone.

            “Slow. Then we’ll go from there…I’m enjoying _every second of this_.” Tweek whimpered, fingers tangling into Craig’s hair and tugging gently. The silent encouragement sent Craig reeling, lips attaching to the sensitive skin on the inside of Tweek’s thighs. The blonde gasped sharply, back arching off the sand.

            “ _Oh shit_.” He breathed out, teeth gritting slightly. Craig chuckled, dick twitching slightly as he looked up. Just the mere _sight_ of Tweek was making it difficult to take this slow. Crawling back up so his face was above Tweek’s, he swallowed hard, seeing just how _needy_ he looked. _He’s in heat_. He reminded himself, finger tips grazing down Tweek’s chest. He pinched one of his nipples, teasing him.

            “Can I finger you?” Tweek groaned at the sentence, eyes fluttering shut as he swallowed hard. He nodded, words failing him at the moment. Smiling a bit, Craig let his traveling hand continue on its journey south, sliding over his side, to his hip, and finally, to his ass. Gripping hard, he leaned down and kissed at Tweek’s chest, the blonde digging his finger nails into Craig’s back and scratching slowly. This caused Craig to groan, the sort of groan that sent shivers down Tweek’s spine and jolts of arousal to his groin. He swallowed hard as Craig’s fingers dug into his ass once more before grazing over his rim. A whimper escaped his lips, Craig burying his face into his neck as he slowly teased him.

            “W-Will I hurt you?” Tweek shook his head.

            “When-when in heat, mermaids make a natural lubricant, regardless of gender.” Craig snorted a bit.

            “You’re all built for sex it seems like.” He murmured, lifting his head up to look at Tweek. The blonde smiled, letting out a soft laugh.

            “You could say that.” He laughed, Craig grinning at how _beautiful_ he really was in the water. With a burst of confidence and love, Craig pressed one finger in gently, Tweek’s body practically melting under the newfound pleasure.

            “You good, baby?” Craig whispered, peppering his face with kisses. Tweek nodded, wrapping his arms around Craig’s neck and playing with the hairs on the base of his neck, knowing he _loved_ that.

            “M-mhm.” He choked out, words failing him once more. Craig’s breathing became shakier the longer he worked on Tweek, the anticipation behind hit all agonizing. He slowly added a second finger, easing it in until they were both fully inside of Tweek. His husband had a look of total bliss beneath him, head lulled to the side, eyes closed with swollen, pink lips slightly parted as he moaned. It was breathtaking. Becoming ambitious, Craig started to scissor his fingers slightly, trying to prepare Tweek the best he could. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt him. Curling his fingers in search for his prostate, he smiled softly as Tweek’s eyes flew open when he did, a loud yell of pleasure escaping his lips.

            “I got you.” Craig assured, Tweek tugging on Craig’s hair.

            “L-Listen, Craig, I’m all for taking t-things slow, but if you don’t _fuck me_ soon I’m seriously going to _lose my fucking mind_.” Tweek growled between his teeth, the sound making Craig’s dick twitch. Grunting, Craig pressed their lips together, digging his free hand into the sand above Tweek’s head. He gently tugged his fingers out, leaning his forehead against Tweek’s as he lined his hips up. Tweek just nodded, no words needing to be spoken as Craig gently pushed into his husband. Now, Craig knows that it is clichéd as all hell to say that sex with someone you love is _magical_ or _incredible_ or _the best feeling **ever**_ , but they’re right. The sounds of Tweek moaning out in pleasure, the tightness around his cock, the warmth, the feeling of his husband’s breath on his neck, the finger nails dragging down his back, the water around them. _It was magical_. He took his time with it, waiting until he was fully inside of the blonde before he looked down at him. He looked _ecstatic_ , the smile on his face so warm and inviting. Craig couldn’t help himself. He pressed their lips together in a gentle kiss, the hand not buried in the sand coming up to cup Tweek’s face. Pulling back slowly, he started a gentle rhythm, hips moving slowly so they could both get used to the sensation. Well, Craig has had sex before, whereas this was Tweek’s first time, so it was more for Tweek. Howver, the blonde was more than eager for more. The heels of Tweek’s feet dug into Craig’s ass as they kissed, pressing Craig further into him. The raven haired boy chuckled, pulling away enough to speak.

            “You’re so needy.” He murmured, tongue sliding along Tweek’s lips.

            “’m so _horny_.” Tweek groaned, nails digging into Craig’s back once more as he tugged him back down into a kiss. Craig couldn’t stop the smile that formed on his lips as he kissed Tweek, hands sliding down to grip at his hips as he pulled away to look at the blonde. Tweek really took that moment to look at Craig: black hair pooled around his head in such elegant waves, muscles loose as he relaxed more and more with each thrust, hips moving rhythmically and sending so much _pleasure_ through Tweek’s body. His face was soft, too, eyes half lidded as his mouth fell open, a soft groan falling out. It was the most incredible thing Tweek has ever seen, and yet, here he was, like this because he was _fucking Tweek_. A twitch jolted through Tweek’s body, eyes shutting as his back arched. He gasped loudly, Craig hitting his prostate over and over. He chuckled, kissing the same spot on Tweek’s cheek over and over again.

            “’m here, I got you.” He repeated to Tweek, the blonde trying to get a grip on his back.

            “ _More_. _Please_ ,” He hissed, legs wrapping around Craig’s waist. He felt a smile against his cheek, the rate of Craig’s thrusts increasing and the force in which he did became harder. _Perfect_. Tweek thought, whining as he buried his face into Craig’s shoulder. It didn’t take long until he felt that warmth pooling into his lower abdomen, Tweek struggling to find the words he so desperately needed. “W-wait! Stop moving!” he gasped out, tears stinging his eyes. Tweek yelled out in surprise as Craig thrusted into him, sitting deep inside. However, it didn’t hurt like he thought it would for some reason, instead offering comfort to him. Tweek looked up at Craig, cupping his face in his hands as he smiled sadly. Craig offered the same sad smile back, nuzzling his nose lightly against Tweek’s.

            “What am I gonna do without you?” Craig whispered, voice constricted with emotion. Tweek chuckled a bit.

            “What am I gonna do without _you_?” Tweek asked, stroking Craig’s cheek lightly.

            “I can’t wait to tell my parents their son-in-law is a mermaid.” He murmured, Tweek tossing his head back in laughter.

            “Wait until I tell my parents I got married…wait until I see my parents.” He whispered, smiling up at his husband. Craig hummed, running a hand through Tweek’s curls.

            “Can I meet them?” Tweek hummed, nuzzling into the touch.

            “Of course,” He smirked a bit. “Now, pull my hair _hard_ and make me cum, yeah?” He breathed out, cheeks flushed. Craig blinked at how incredibly blunt he was, smirking slightly at the request. He tugged hard on Tweek’s hair, his head tilted back from the grip as he gasped. He placed a gentle kiss to his chin.

            “Aye aye.” He groaned, pulling out slowly until just the tip of his cock was inside. He pushed back in, Tweek yelling out again in pleasure. Craig continued that pattern, noticing Tweek really seemed to enjoy that. He let his hair go as he felt his orgasm approaching, leaning their foreheads together as he dug his hands in the sand. Tweek cupped his face, tears pooling into his eyes.

            “I-I love you.” He breathed out, Craig letting out a shaky breath as his chest tightened with sadness and his hips started to falter in their rhythm.

            “ _Fuck_ , I love you, too.” He choked out, reaching one hand down to stroke Tweek’s neglected dick. The blonde gasped, eyes squeezing shut.

            “ _Shit!_ _Craig!_ ” He shouted, the grip of Craig’s hand sending him over the edge. Craig groaned, stroking him through his orgasm. The sounds Tweek made were enough for Craig to cum, fingers grabbing at Tweek’s hips and pressing hard enough to leave bruises.

            “ _Tweek_!” he shouted, slamming his hips forward and letting himself cum inside of Tweek. The blonde yelled out with him, his body tingling all over as Craig came inside of him. Craig quickly pulled himself away and out of Tweek as he started to relax, eyes fluttering shut as he tried to calm his emotions. His body tingled, every muscle relaxed in the best way. Tweek had let his eyes close as well, a few tears falling into the water as he bid farewell to his legs, feeling them grow heavier as they morphed back into a tail. When he let his eyes open, he looked down, a healthy, olive green tail back where it should belong. Grinning slowly, Tweek let his hands roam over his tail, laughing softly as he pushed himself off the ocean floor, moving his fins.

            “Criag! It-it worked, you did it! You fucking did-” When Tweek turned around to look at Craig, he noticed the distant stare on his husbands face. He frowned, swimming towards him. That’s when he heard it: the chilling, haunting, yet beautiful song. “ _Oh no_.” He breathed out, looking up at the boat above them. He could see them swimming slowly toward the boat, where the curious faces of his friends looked over the sides. They were in so much _danger_. Tweek took off towards the surface, anger bubbling inside of him as he rushed to save his friends from the deadly song of the sirens.

* * *

 

            “How long does it take to fuck?” Eric whined, plopping down on Stan’s lap. Stan immediately pushed him off, grimacing,

            “ _I don’t know, dude_. This is literally the _fifth_ time you’ve asked this question. Just…fucking shut up.” He groaned, wrapping his arms around Wendy. She nuzzled into the embrace, smiling softly up at him.

            “We did a good thing.” She whispered to him, Stan chuckling.

            “What, helping Craig get laid?” She snorted, punching his arm.

            “No, stupid! Getting Tweek home.” Stan let out a soft laugh.

            “Oh. Yeah. That.” He smiled at her, pressing a soft kiss to her cheek.

            “Do you think Tweek has any cute mermaid friends?” Kenny asked, hanging upside down from his seat. Kyle shrugged.

            “Don’t know. Depends. What’s your type?”

            “Blonde. Kinda quiet, maybe. Shy.”

            “So…the o-opposite of-of you?” Jimmy aked, laughing.

            “Yeah!” Kenny sat upright, a grin on his face. “Yeah that’s it! The opposite of-” Suddenly, all the men on the boat froze, their eyes glazing over. Jack was unaffected, the girls as well. He walked out to the sitting area, looking around.

            “What in the hell?” He murmured, all the boys slowly moving to the edges of the boat and looking over the sides into the water.

            “Guys?” Bebe called, standing up slowly. She blinked as she heard singing, looking out at the water.

            “Is that…what I think it is?” Heidi asked, hands reaching out to grab an oar under the seat. Wendy grabbed another one, eyes wide as she walked towards the edge of the boat.

            “Probably…” She whispered, peering over the edge by Stan. One by one, faces of beautiful women emerged from the water, varying in race and hair color. They all reached a hand out to the boys, all of them at once slowly reaching their hands out.

            “ _NO!”_ Wendy twisted around, Tweek bursting out of the water. Her eyes widened and a grin crawled across her face as she saw his tail, Bebe and Heidi gasping as he used his powers to pull the water around the sirens away from the boat. Their faces quickly distorted, melting away to reveal distorted features and sharp teeth, hungry for blood. They quickly turned their attention to Tweek, who kept himself elevated out of the water with a stream that was wrapped around his tail. One crawled up the water around his tail, Tweek forming an icicle to hit her away with. She hissed, clutching at her cheek.

            “Wretched mermaid!” She yelled, her sister lunging towards Tweek. A few of the sirens turned their attention back to the boat, the guys still coming out of the spell. As one tried to crawl up into the boat, Wendy hit her across the face with an oar, her scream quickly snapping the boys back to reality.

            “What the fuck?!” Clyde groaned, grabbing his head.

            “Sirens!” Jack yelled, handing anything that might be considered a weapon to everyone. Quickly joing in on the fight, the guys helped hit off any sirens that tried to climb onto the ship, Tweek trying to lure as many as possible away from the ship. He hissed in pain as one slashed at his cheek, blood falling down and dripping off his jaw. Stabbing her with the icicle, he watched her sink into the blue ocean waters, Tweek continuing to form more icicles and stabbing as many sirens as he could. He hated killing, but he made an exception for these foul creatures. After all, they did give mermaids a bad rap a few hundred years ago. As Tweek raised his arm to stab another, a siren grabbed onto his arm, biting down into the pale flesh on his bicep. He screamed in pain, tossing the icicle to his other hand and stabbing that one in the head. He was weakened, the other sirens smelling it on him. They all rushed him at once, Tweek yelling out in pain and squeezing his eyes shut as they scratched at his arms, chest, and tail. He could hear his friends screaming for him, he could hear his heart pounding in his hears, but then he heard nothing. Opening his eyes slowly, he could see the sirens all frozen, eyes wide with fear. Everyone blinked, Kenny being the first to speak.

            “Are you controlling their blood?!” Tweek let out a shaky breath, hands shaking.

            “N-No! I’m not doing this!” He shouted back, swallowing hard as he let himself fall back into the water. The sirens stayed frozen in the air, even after the water stream keeping him out of the water was gone.

            “What the fuck is happening?!” Token shouted to Tweek, the blonde going to speak, but then he felt a presence behind him. Turning around, his eyes widened as he met the icy blue eyes of Craig. Only his eyes appeared out of the water, the rest of his body submerged. He slowly moved over closer to the sirens, Tweek swearing he caught a glimpsed of _something blue_ under the water. _The ocean is blue, dummy_. He thought, watching Craig. Then again, his eyes were so much _brighter_ than before. He felt frozen in place as Craig tiled his head to the right, the sirens all yelling out in pain as they curled in on themselves, bodies twisting in unnatural ways. He pulled the rest of his head out of the water, but only the water was still up to his shoulders.

            “You done here, ladies?” He said, voice low. They all nodded.

            “Yes!”

            “Please stop!”

            “You’re hurting us!” Craig smirked, raising his arm out of the water. Flicking his wrist, they all fell into the water, but still couldn’t move.

            “Don’t come back here. If you _ever_ see any of these people again, you don’t _fuck with them_. Understood?” No one spoke. He clenched his fist, the sirens screaming out again as their arms twisted into uncomfortable and painful positions. “ _UNDERSTOOD?!”_ Craig screamed, the sirens all nodding.

            “Yes! Yes! Please stop!” They all cried, Craig letting his arm drop. As soon as they had control of their own bodies again, the sirens immediately swam off. Everyone stared at Craig eyes wide. Craig smirked a bit.

            “What?” He said, floating onto his back. They all gasped, Tweek’s eyes widening as he looked at Craig. He let out a shaky breath.

“You…” Craig didn’t have legs, but a long, royal blue tail. It matched the color of his chullo and looked incredible against his olive skin tone. His tail was longer and thicker than Tweek’s, but it was obvious he still wasn’t used to using it. The edges of the scales had almost a holographic quality to them, a purple tint shimmering off of them. He gave his tail a flick, smirking up at his friends and glancing over at Tweek, arms tucked under his head as he floated on his back.

“What’s the matter? Haven’t you ever seen a _mermaid_ before?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not gonna lie, I got emotional writing this, so I hope you're all doing okay. Actually, are you all okay? I know this is a rollercoaster of a ride, but I promise you, everything is gonna be okay <3 Hope you enjoyed this chapter! This was my first serious attempt at writing smut, and the only smut I know is lovey, rough, but sweet kinda smut. Thank you all for reading this story and my writing in general! You're all so kind to me! Hope you enjoyed, and as always, any and all feedback is appreciated!  
> Songs:  
> The Final Countdown-Europe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNiTxUEnmKI


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I made a spotify playlist that contains all songs mentioned in this fic! Check it out!  
> https://open.spotify.com/user/3s69p2v4dhp8wrha527fv9enm/playlist/42OaZiMQoHPWPBydpHxUf9?si=sSHAYb9QRueDflEfVEeBDw
> 
> Check out my twitter!  
> https://twitter.com/craigorytucker
> 
> Check out my tumblr!  
> crowded-skies.tumblr.com

            “ _How_?” Was all Tweek could manage to say. He had _no idea_ how or why this was happening. Did he doom Craig to a life in the sea?! He didn’t get to really say goodbye to his family! Oh _god_! Pluto is still in his room! He still has a year of school left! Craig looked over at him, floating past him on his back.

            “I…I don’t know. But I just…felt like…this _tingling_ sensation through my body. You swam off before I could speak.”

            “But-but you were in a trance! You had a distanced look on your face!” Craig shook his head.

            “I heard the song, but I was in a trance because I _couldn’t move_.” Craig let his new tail fall back into the water, slipping under the water for a second before surfacing again. He sputtered a bit, trying to get used to moving his hips. Kyle sat down on the edge of the boat, feet dangling over the edge.

            “Well…now what?” He asked, Kenny and Clyde taking a seat next to him as well. Tweek blinked, face flushed red.

            “Well...I-I guess we try and find my parents.” Jack smirked a bit, chuckling.

            “I have a hunch as to where they went,” He started pulling the anchor up. “You boys good to follow the boat?” Tweek glanced at Craig, smirking.

            “ _I am_ …him? Maybe.” Craig let out a whine.

            “What the fuck, Tweek?!”

            “You just got a tail, for Christ’s sake!” He laughed, both of them backing up as Jack turned the engines back on. Tweek took the moment to take in Craig as a _mermaid_. He was beautiful as a human, but now with a royal blue tail stark against his olive skin, he was _god like_. His hair was drying in gentle waves and even though he didn’t have the pointed ears and sharp finger nails, he was stunning to say the least. Craig looked over at him, showing him a toothy grin as he leaned over and kissed his cheek.

            “You good?” Tweek let out a shaky breath, nodding as he smiled.

            “Y-Yeah…just…a lot to take in.” Craig snorted.

            “Yeah, you’re telling _me_ , the one who randomly got _a tail_.” Tweek punched his arm, Craig letting out a yelp.

            “Shut your trap and try and keep up, alright?” He chuckled, diving under the water. Craig stared in awe at the water, his heart racing. How was it that even still Tweek made him so nervous? No one has _ever_ made Craig nervous. _Maybe it’s because he calls you on your bullshit_. Craig snorted, diving under the water to see Tweek swimming ahead of him. The process of swimming with a tail was odd, but not foreign to Craig. He used to play mermaids with his sister when they were younger, the motion almost nostalgic in a sense. Quickly catching up to his husband, he grabbed his hand, lacing their fingers as they swam side by side. Tweek smiled at the notion, giving his hand a squeeze as they followed along-side the boat to the location of Tweek’s parents. After about fifteen minutes, Jack killed the engine, Tweek and Craig surfacing to look at Jack.

            “This was the last place I saw them. I assume they’re around here.” He explained, Tweek nodding.

            “Thank you,” He looked at everyone. “You…you don’t have to wait here…I can bring Craig back to the shore.” Wendy smiled a bit.

            “We’re okay with waiting, Tweek.” She sat down next to Clyde, Kenny, and Kyle.

            “It’s no problem, really. It’s kinda fun just hanging out on a boat.” Clyde chuckled, Craig smirking a bit. Tweek gave a nod, turning to Craig.

            “Ready?” Craig asked, Tweek smiling.

            “Yeah,” He whispered, both slipping under the water once more. Craig let Tweek take the lead, watching the way he moved in his natural habit. He was flawless. Incredible. The creation of the gods themselves. (Craig wasn’t even sure if there were _gods,_ but he thanks each and every one if there are). After about ten minutes of swimming in silence, Tweek turned to Craig. “I…I can sense them.” Craig looked around, the coral reef below them barren.

            “Are you sure? It seems…empty.” Tweek nodded, swimming closer to the reef. He slid between a crack in the rocks they sat on, Craig following him. After some twisting and turning, the rocks opened up into an undersea cavern, filled with the hustle and bustle of everyday mermaid life. Craig looked around in awe, so many colors filling his eyes. People’s tails were colors he didn’t even know existed!

            “I guess this is my new home…more hidden this time.” He murmured to Craig, looking around at the floods of mermaids below. There seemed to be a square set up with shops and some homes. Most of the homes were farther off to the right, tucked along a fold in the rock walls. Craig gave his hand a squeeze.

            “Do you know where they might be?” He asked, Tweek biting his lip. As he opened his mouth, an unfamiliar voice to Craig hit his ears.

            “ _Tweek?!”_ They turned, two mermaids around Tweek’s age rushing towards them. The blonde gasped, rushing to meet them halfway. He threw an arm around each mermaid, all three of them laughing and crying tears of joy as they were _finally_ reunited.

            “Butters! Red! How- _fuck_ -I’m so glad you’re all okay!” Tweek breathed out, pulling away to look his friends in the face. Butters was a pale mermaid with a light blue tail, a vertical scar running down his left eye. His hair was platinum blonde and his eyes were as bright as his tail, the scarred eye slightly discolored. He had similar piercings to Tweek’s in his ears, but he had a silver bar in each nipple instead of his septum. Red had shoulder length red hair and a black tail, her skin pale as well. She had black scales that ran up her sides from her tail and over her breasts to hide her nipples, flecks of gold catching in the light. She had bright green eyes like Tweek and freckles covering most of her body. Her ears were also pierced with the same piercings as Tweek: two in her left cartilage and one in her right.

            “We’re glad _YOU’RE_ okay! What the hell happened?!” Red asked, gripping his arm. Her nails were longer than Tweek’s.

            “I… _shit_ , it’s a long story.” Craig smiled a bit at the interaction, happy that after so long, Tweek was finally able to interact with his own kind. Butters caught Craig’s gaze, smiling slowly.

            “And who is _he_?” He practically purred, rushing up to wrap his arms around Craig. The dark haired boy bushed, letting out a soft laugh. Tweek tugged Butters off by his tail, pinching his arm.

            “Hands off, _he’s mine_.” Tweek practically growled, but he was also teasing. He linked his arm through Craig’s, kissing his cheek.

            “Well, who is Mr. Dark and Handsome?” Red giggled, running a finger over Craig’s tail. He shivered, the sensation almost pleasurable.

            “This is Craig…my…husband.” They blinked, staring at Tweek.

            “You…you’re _shitting me_.” Red said, a grin crawling across her face. Tweek blushed, holding out his left hand to show the ring on his finger

            “Hamburgers, you ain’t kidding!” Butters laughed, grabbing his hand and inspecting the ring.

            “Where did you two meet?” Red said, joining Butters in looking at the ring. Tweek let out a soft laugh.

            “He…he’s human, actually.” They looked up slowly, Craig smirking slightly at them.

            “How-how does he-”

            “That’s why we’re here,” Tweek interrupted Butters, smiling a bit. “He…I gave up my tail so it would be easier for me to get back. We… _consummated_ our love literally about an hour ago, and he, for some reason, has a tail now. Do…where are my parents?” He finally asked, Butters smiling.

            “Last house on the left, right by the coffee bean dispensary.” Tweek snorted.

            “Of course my father chose that house.” He murmured, giving his friends a squeeze before swimming towards the house with Craig’s hand in his. As they approached the stone house, Craig leaned over and kissed Tweek’s cheek, smiling a bit.

            “You excited?” Tweek hummed, nodding.

            “Very…I miss them so much.” He whispered, Craig cupping his face.

            “Well…they’re right there,” Craig placed a light kiss to his nose. “I’ll wait back for a bit and give you a moment with them.” Tweek smiled.

            “Thank you, Craig,” He murmured, giving him a peck on the lips before swimming up to the house. He swam in (they didn’t have doors), looking around. It was _definitely_ his parent’s house, drawings Tweek made as a child on shells and rocks lined up on make shift shelves. “Mom?! Dad?!” He called out, swimming into the kitchen area. No one. Biting his lip, he turned around to head back out into the living area. He froze as he turned around, his parents staring at him with wide eyes in the doorway. Mary was the first to move, rushing forward and wrapping her arms tight around Tweek, sobbing into his shoulder. He hugged her close, sobbing into her hair. Richard hugged him from the other side, Tweek sandwiched between his parents as they sobbed. Tweek had done the inevitable. After being away from home for months, after escaping his capture, after giving up his tail, after learning what love is, after everything, Tweek was home.

* * *

          “Oh my _baby_ you’re home!” Mary eventually said after they held onto their son for a good ten minutes. Tweek smiled.

            “I-I did it, mom! I made it home!” He choked out, looking between his parents.

            “Son, I’m so _proud_ of you.” Richard whispered, cupping Tweek’s face in his hands. He giggled, nose scrunching up.

            “Well…I had a lot of help.” Mary blinked, smiling softly.

            “That’s right…you have a little boyfriend, right?” Tweek turned a dark red, swallowing hard before holding his left hand out to his mom.

            “H-Husband?” He squeaked out, smiling sheepishly at her. Richard looked at the band over his wife’s shoulder, both looking up at their son.

            “We…have a son-in-law?” She breathed out, grinning slowly. _Thank god they’re excited about it_. Tweek nodded.

            “He-He’s outside ri-”

            “What?! Tweek, go get him!” Mary hissed, batting her son on the arm.

            “Ow! Okay okay!” He laughed, rushing to the door. Craig was sitting overhead on the overhang, Tweek swimming up to him. He smiled when he saw him, his tail hanging over the ledge but he was laying on his back, arms tucked under his head with his eyes closed. “Hey.” Craig opened one eye, looking down at Tweek with a smirk.

            “What?”

            “Ready to meet your in-laws?” Craig snorted, stretching his arms above his head.

            “Guess so.” He said, following Tweek down into his home. Mary and Richard looked up when they entered, Mary audibly gasping.

            “ _Tweek_ , he is absolutely _dashing_.” Craig blushed a bright red, rubbing the back of his neck.

            “Oh, uh, t-thanks?” He laughed softly, Richard smirking.

            “What’s your name, kiddo?”

            “Craig, sir. I’m, uh, Jack’s nephew.” He stuck his hand out, Richard taking it and giving it a squeeze as he grinned.

            “Richard, kid. You’re _Jack’s_ nephew?! Shit, what a coincidence! He’s a swell man, ya know. Really helped us when we were so distraught looking for Tweek. Oh! This is my wife,  Mary.” Mary wrapped her arms around him, grinning into his shoulder.

            “It’s a pleasure to meet you, handsome,” Craig blushed, but couldn’t help but smile. She pulled away, looking Craig up and down. “I thought you said he was human?” Tweek gaped.

            “ _Fuck!_ That’s what we wanted to ask you!” They looked at each other, Tweek clearing his throat. “Well, after we… _consummated_ our love, some sirens attacked the boat our friends were on. But…Craig wasn’t affected by the song and he-he saved us by using an ability that _I_ have and he had a tail. Why…why did that _happen_?!” Richard thought a moment, rubbing his chin. Suddenly, he gasped.

            “ _Shit_ , how could I have forgotten that information?!” He hissed, Tweek blinking.

            “What?!”

            “When you give up your tail, you must consummate your love in the waters in which you met. When you _do that_ , because you have shared that connection, your partner now gets your abilities and the choice between land and sea, much like you have the choice between land and sea now, Tweek.” The blonde blinked, hands flying up to his hair and tugging on his curls.

            “You just _forgot_ that _important information, dad?!_ ” He screeched, Craig grabbing his wrists and gently coaxing his hands out of his hair, kissing his head.

            “Shhh it’s okay, Tweek.” He cooed, the blonde visibly relaxing after a moment. Mary watched in awe, eyes wide.

            “You…you can…help him?” She whispered in disbelief. Craig blinked, looking at her.

            “Yeah…you…can you not?” She shook her head, smiling sadly.

            “We don’t know a lot about anxiety.” She admitted, Tweek’s cheeks dusting pink.

            “While he was growing up, we tried our best to understand, but mermaids don’t know a lot about it…we tried _everything_ to learn about it. But…no one knew a lot.” Richard explained, looking at his son. Craig smiled a bit.

            “I…I could help. I could teach you everything that I’ve used over the months to help calm him when he gets worked up.” They both looked at him, rushing over with wide eyes.

            “You-you would do that?” Mary asked, eyes hopeful. Craig smiled a bit.

            “Of course,” He looked at the three in front of him, his heart swelling with disbelief that _this was his life_. “We’re family now.”

* * *

Craig spent a few hours talking with Tweek and his parents, but he knew it was getting late, and he had to get going. He had taught them everything they needed to know about handling Tweek’s anxiety, about their adventure in getting here, and Craig talked about his family some. He was sad to see it come to an end so soon, but he was even sadder that once Tweek took him back to the boat, it was uncertain when he’d see him again.

            “I…I don’t know when I’ll see you two again…but…just know I’m really thankful for your son, alright? He…he’s saved me from a world of silence.” Mary blinked.

            “What do you mean, kiddo?” Craig blushed, swallowing hard.

            “ _I’m deaf. But when I’m around Tweek, his aura lets me hear. Without him nearby, I’m plunged back into silence.”_ He signed to them, Richard and Mary staring in awe at him. Mary smiled sadly.

            “ _We wish you all the best_.” She signed back, Richard nodding in agreement.

            “ _We’ll figure something out, Craig. Don’t worry_.” He signed, Craig’s chest constriction with emotion. He nodded his head once more before Tweek gave his parents a hug, Mary even tugging Craig in for one before they left. On the way out of the reef, Butters and Red came rushing up.

            “Leaving so soon?!” Red called out, a grin on her face. Tweek smiled sadly.

            “I-I have to take him back…” He whispered, voice already wavering with emotion. Butters frowned, looking between the two.

            “We’ll come with,” Red nodded in agreement. “We won’t let you go through this alone.” He whispered, placing a hand on Tweek’s back.

            “T-Thanks, guys.” He breathed out, all four of them swimming out from the cavern. The closer they got to the boat, the sicker Craig felt to his stomach. He didn’t want to say goodbye. He didn’t want to go back to silence. He didn’t want to go back to his room, where Pluto was awaiting and his bed now seemed to big. The boat eventually came into sight, Tweek’s throat closing as he tried to find the words to say. He couldn’t. This was the hardest thing Tweek has ever had to do, and he just traveled from Colorado to California and got his tail back. They surfaced, faces somber as their friends perked up a bit. Kenny immediately noticed the blonde next to Tweek, his face flushing bright red as he caught his gaze. The blonde winked at him, biting his lip and giggling a bit. Kenny immediately crossed his legs, eyes wide.

            “T-Tweek, who’s, uh, your friend?” Tweek glanced over to Butters, smiling sadly.

            “Butters. That’s Kenny.” He managed to say, voice already breaking. Jack looked over the side, sighing sadly.

            “It’s getting late, bud. We can’t be out here much longer.” Craig nodded slowly, looking at Tweek. He didn’t know what one should say in this situation. What do you say to the person who saved your life? What do you say to the person who showed you what true love is? What do you say to _your husband_ when it’s uncertain when you’ll see each other again? The best answer Craig could think of was nothing, opting to press their lips together in one last kiss. He’d miss these kisses. He’d miss his finger nails scratching at his back. He’d miss the countless questions Tweek would ask him. He’d miss the way Tweek looked sleeping next to him. Craig realized that he was going to be completely and utterly lost without Tweek with him, and that scared the ever living shit out of him. Pulling away slowly, he swallowed the lump refusing to go away in his throat, arms wrapping around Tweek. He rubbed one hand up his back and tangled one into Tweek’s hair, letting the blonde sob into his shoulder. He couldn’t cry now, not with Tweek crying. Craig needed to be strong. He needed to be Tweek’s rock. His protector. He couldn’t do that if he was emotional.

            “’m-m gonna miss you.” Tweek managed to choke out, every word a battle. He could barely breath, his chest so tight with emotion as he shook from each sob. Why was this so _hard_?! Why was he so naïve when it came to Blake?! Why did he get captured and have to go through _all of this_ with Craig?! _No, don’t think like that. You went through hell and back with him and you wouldn’t trade it for the world_. He thought, biting down on Craig’s shoulder as he sobbed. Craig let him, the pain _almost_ distracting. When Tweek pulled away, Craig knew he had to rip the band-aid off. He slowly let go, Butters and Red swimming up behind Tweek to comfort him as Craig never broke eye contact. Jack and Stan pulled Craig out of the water, setting him on the side of the boat and draping a towel over his lap. Jack looked at Tweek, smiling sadly.

            “Tell…tell your folks hello, will ya?” Tweek nodded, eyes red from crying. Craig’s tail quickly changed back into legs, Craig glancing down to wiggle his toes. He quickly looked back up as the boat’s engine turned on, the radio playing a Beatles song as the anchors were pulled up. As the boat lurched forward, Craig let a few tears fall down his cheeks, smiling sadly at Tweek. He held up a shaking hand, his middle and ring finger held down while his index, pinky, and thumb finger were held out. Tweek’s heart fell but swelled at the sign, holding the same sign back to him. It was so simple, but held the most important significance between the two of them.

            “ _I love you_.” Craig stared at the spot Tweek was at for as long as he could. He eventually dove back under with Butters and Red, and that’s when he felt his heart fall into the ocean. Letting out a sob, Craig dropped his head to the railing his arms were resting on, Kyle and Clyde sitting next to him eventually and wrapping their arms tight around him as the Beatles played them home. The song eventually faded for Craig, signifying that Tweek had officially returned home, plunging him back into silence.

            _Yesterday_

_Love was such an easy game to play_

_Now I need a place to hide away_

_Oh, I believe in yesterday_

_Why she had to go_

_I don’t know, she wouldn’t say_

_I said something wrong_

_Now I long for yesterday_

* * *

They left Jack’s in the morning, Craig feeling incomplete both days it took for them to drive back to Colorado. He was quiet for most of it, only opening his mouth to agree to the dinner suggestion or when he was asked to drive. When they got back to South Park, he dropped Stan and Wendy off and immediately went home. Craig Tucker was eighteen years old and he has already experienced the worst pain anyone could experience: heart break. Putting the top up of his car, he thought back to the first night Tweek experience his convertible as he got out of the car. He thought back to their drunken sexual escapades. He thought back to Tweek’s laughter, Tweek’s smile, Tweek’s hair, Tweek’s eyes, _Tweek_. He didn’t realize he had been staring at the door for a good minute until Laura opened the door, eyes sad as she took his bags from his hands and set them aside. She reached up, cupping his tear streaked face in his hands.

            “Craig?” She whispered, Craig noticing her lips move. No sound. Silence. His face twisted up as he finally let himself break down, collapsing forward into his mom’s arms. His chest heaved as he tried to catch his breath, gripping at his mother’s shirt as they stumbled over to the stairs. Laura Tucker had never seen her son so distraught, and she didn’t really know what to do. She helped him climb each step, Craig thinking back to the day he taught Tweek how to walk. He covered his mouth with his hand, vision blurred with tears as he pushed away from his mom and rushed to the bathroom. Collapsing to the ground, Craig pushed the toilet seat up and gripped the porcelain as he lost the contents of his stomach, sobs continuing to wrack his body. Laura rushed in, rubbing his back as he threw up. Reaching a shaking hand out, Craig flushed the toilet and collapsed backwards onto the ground, Laura wrapping her arms tight around him, kissing his hair over and over again as she rocked him gently. “My sweet boy…” She cooed, tears filling her eyes. Craig eventually began to settle, soft sobs still escaping his lips, but they weren’t as violent and gut wrenching. Taking a fist full of his mom’s shirt, Craig pulled away, swallowing hard.

            “W-Why does it h-have to _hurt_ this much?” He croaked, throat raw from crying. His eyes were so swollen, red, tear stained. This was so unlike her son. Laura frowned, stroking his cheek gently and eventually cupping his jaw in her hand.

            “Because you love him.” She whispered slowly so he could read her lips, Craig sniffling. He held up his left hand, eyes dropping as he saw his mom’s eyes widen. She grabbed it gently, running her thumb over the ring. Craig let his eyes close, thinking back to that night. Tweek was so excited. It was so cheesy. They went to the first chapel they came across. The priest was dressed like fucking _Elvis_ , but Tweek didn’t care. Tweek didn’t care about anything that night. That made Craig fall in love with him more. They signed some papers before they sat down next to another couple waiting to get hitched by this Elvis priest, both of them whispering and giggling to each other in excitement. When they were told to go back, Tweek practically dragged Craig down the little aisle, Craig watching in awe as he was led by this beautiful boy in front of him. They didn’t even have vows prepared, just spoke from the heart as they promised to take care of each other, love each other, and never let the distance get to them. They were strong, they could overcome anything, they were unstoppable. The priest barely got the words ‘ _You may now kiss your husband_ ’ out before Tweek practically tackled Craig to the ground, pressing their lips together with his arms wrapped in a death grip around his neck. Craig smiled against his lips, wrapping his arms around his waist, holding him close. Holding him steady. _Holding him_. Craig snapped back to reality, lip quivering as he swallowed hard, hot tears rolling down his cheeks. He finally glanced at his mom. He had no idea if she said anything, he couldn’t hear it. Because Craig was back to a world of silence. He sniffled, his gaze dropping to the ring on his finger.

            “I love him more than I love space, mom. He’s everything. I’ve never felt so strongly about someone, about _anything_ ,” He took a moment to breathe, hand shaking as he raised it to look more closely at the ring. Craig felt a small smile pull at his lips, Tweek’s laughing face at the bottom of the ocean filling his mind. That was his favorite moment of the trip: Tweek laughing as Craig sat inside of him. It was the kind of laugh that make you toss your head back, makes you fall deeper in love with someone, makes you _miss someone_. He closed his eyes, tilting his head back against the cool porcelain of the bathtub. Laura sighed a bit in relief as she saw her son slowly smile. “Tweek’s my soulmate…no doubt about it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am SO SORRY that this chapter exists, I really am, but it had to happen :( I listened to "Yesterday" as I wrote their farewell and was crying, I'm not even kidding. WELL! I hope you enjoyed this chapter (somewhat)! The next chapter will have a time skip and we are probably getting close to the end of this here story, babies! There will be 25 chapters, so we're getting close! Don't worry! I have plenty of ideas in mind for more :) Hope you enjoyed, and as always, any and all feedback is appreciated!  
> Song:  
> Yesterday-The Beatles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjwGXC71v30


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I made a spotify playlist that contains all songs mentioned in this fic! Check it out!  
> https://open.spotify.com/user/3s69p2v4dhp8wrha527fv9enm/playlist/42OaZiMQoHPWPBydpHxUf9?si=sSHAYb9QRueDflEfVEeBDw
> 
> Check out my twitter!  
> https://twitter.com/craigorytucker
> 
> Check out my tumblr!  
> crowded-skies.tumblr.com

It took one year for Craig Tucker to get back on his feet. It’s also been one year since he’s last seen Tweek. That means he’s been married for one year. For a while, it was really bad, and Craig would be the first to admit it. The rest of that summer, Craig spent most of it drunk. He couldn’t remember a lot of the things he did. Every chance he could, he was drinking with his friends, but he always drank the most. He wasn’t able to go back out to California, unfortunately, work becoming important. He quit his job as a busser at the diner and started working at the auto-shop in town as a mechanic. Work was the one sentiment of joy Craig had that summer.

Laura knew about his drinking, and of course she worried about her son. The day she was finally going to say something to her son was the same day he came to her crying about how nothing was numbing the pain. They eventually took him to a therapist in an efforts that maybe talking to someone outside of the family would help, and it did. Craig loved going to his therapist. It helped him through the stress of senior year, applying to colleges, and track season. Her name was Jenny, she was only in her late twenties, and best of all, she knew sign language, making the entire situation easier on Craig. Jenny had suggested that Craig should find some hobbies besides running, drinking, and smoking. He tried hiking, the aura of nature calming and serene. There was the one time he came across the cliff side that Tweek and him went to on their first date, and he went home and decided to drink the night away. Thomas found him passed out in the bathroom around two am, sighing as he tried to carry his son down the hall to his room. It broke his heart to see Craig like that, so the following weekend, he took Craig on a hike, just the two of them. He tried to talk with his son, get anything out of him, and it somewhat worked. Craig talked about how he was struggling in distracting himself lately, that he just feels sad or angry all the time and everything felt pointless. It was hard to hear, but Thomas was glad Craig was finally opening up.

Pluto was still doing well, but to Craig, he was just a reminder of Tweek. He loved the octopus, but it was hard to look at him. He eventually moved him into Tricia’s room, but that still didn’t stop the octopus from coming in and visiting him from time to time. Craig wasn’t sure if Pluto understood why he was moved to Tricia’s room, but part of him thinks Pluto knew why.

For his birthday that year, Craig, Clyde, and Kenny all went and got tattoos. Clyde got his mom’s favorite flower on his bicep (lavender). Kenny got a crown tattooed on his ankle for his little sister, who he said was his princess. Craig got an ocean wave over his heart, a reminder that he always belonged to the sea.

He got his first acceptance letter to University of Southern California in December. That brought back a spark in him, and his parents noticed it right away. He started becoming interested in painting, often taking hikes to find places to sit and relax to paint the scenery.

In January, he committed to the University of California-Los Angeles, his top choice, for marine biology with a minor in physics. He would list his residency with his Uncle Jack so that way he could pay in-state tuition.

By February, it had gotten easier to go to places he had taken Tweek. It was still hard, but not impossible like before.

In March, he started playing his bass guitar again, even singing from time to time. This surprised his family the most since Craig stopped playing when he lost his hearing. It was understandable as to why he played it when Tweek was around, but Craig said playing music was distracting and calming to him on particularly rough days. He always played bare foot, feeling the vibrations through the floor and using that to keep his tempo.

In April, they went to states for track and came in second place for the four by eight hundred relay (as usual).

In May, he went to prom with Dan, a bisexual mechanic that worked with him. He knew all about Craig’s situation, and although he was twenty, he still went with him as a friend. It was a fun night despite Craig wishing Tweek was with him all night.

In June, he graduated high school and spent a lot of the month going to graduation parties for his friends. There was one night they hung out at Tokens and he chose to let his tail appear as they were in the pool, floating on his back as he watched the stars and found as many constellations as he could.

Craig spent a lot of his free time that summer sometimes sitting in the bathtub with his tail, knowing somewhere in the ocean, his husband was swimming free. It offered a sense of serenity to Craig. They didn’t get to go to California that summer, but Craig did for his orientation. He was going to go visit Tweek, but for some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He thinks part of it had to do with the fact that he’d see him then immediately have to leave again.

Now, already into his freshman year of college, Craig Tucker was back to normal…well, kind of. It was September and he had officially been in college for a month now. He commuted from his uncle’s house (which wasn’t far from the school at all) and he had made some friends already. There was Greg, an engineering major; Steven, a business major; and Andy, a chemistry major. They had met during orientation and managed to keep in touch. He missed Clyde, Token, and Jimmy a lot, but he was excited to see what they were going to do in college. Craig and his three friends were currently sitting in a patch of grass on campus, the California sun hot and brutal as they worked on their homework.

            “I finally hooked up with Lindsay last week.” Greg said, nudging Craig slightly to get him to look up. They were all super understanding of Craig’s deafness. He jumped, looking at him.

            “What?”

            “Lindsay and I hooked up.” He repeated, Craig smirking a bit.

            “Bout time.”

            “What do you mean ‘bout time’?!” He laughed, punching Craig’s arm.

            “You’ve been going after her since orientation.” He chuckled, shaking his head.

            “We don’t see you going after anyone.” Andy said, setting his books aside to really absorb the discussion. Craig grimaced.

            “I don’t have to.”

            “What? Got a boo?” Steven teased, Craig smiling.

            “I’m married.” They all froze, blinking. Andy pushed his sunglasses on top of his head, eyes wide.

            “What the fuck do you _mean_ you’re married?!”

            “It means exactly what it sounds like. I’m married.”

            “Where’s this elusive wife of yours?!” Greg said, adjusting to sit on his knees. Craig pushed his sunglasses up on top of his head.

            “Husband.” Andy ran his hands down his face.

            “You’re _gay?!”_

            “Yeah. I thought you guys knew that.”

            “Obviously not! Damn, we’re learning a lot about you, Tucker!” Steven laughed, laying down on the blanket they were on.

            “Where is he?! What school?!” Craig bit his lip, quickly thinking of a lie.

            “He doesn’t go to school. He works at his parent’s coffee shop.” He said, setting his homework aside.

            “He just works full time?” Craig took a moment to process what Andy said before nodding.

            “Yeah. They’ve had the shop since he was little and he’s hoping to take over for his dad at some point.” Greg smiled.

            “What’s the dude’s name?” Craig felt his heart swell at the thought, swearing he heard his laughter.

            “Tweek.”

            “That’s an interesting name.” Steven said, chuckling.

            “Yeah,” He subconsciously let his hand wander over the necklace he had on. Craig wore it every day after Tweek left. When cleaning up his room one day in an effort to help relax himself, he found the singular scale that didn’t shatter when Tweek gave up his tail. He noticed it wasn’t the ugly, dry brown that it was when he found it, but instead the healthy olive green it should be. He made it into a necklace, that way Tweek was always nearby. “He’s an interesting person.”

* * *

That Friday, the four of them went to a club that allowed eighteen year olds (well, Craig was nineteen, but still). The parties on campus had been dull, so they just decided that a good ol’ fashioned club was a nice change of pace. Craig could feel the bass thumping against his chest as they walked in, the air thick with sexual desire and laughter. It made Craig wish he had his husband to dance with, to hold, to kiss. Shaking his head, he let out a sigh. It has been fifteen months since he last saw, held, and kissed Tweek, and Craig was starting to go insane. He’s been wanting to go out and visit him, but school work has been kicking his ass. Wanting to distract himself, he started dancing with a random girl, but once it became clear that she wanted more than just a dance, he pushed his way to the bathroom.

Stumbling through the door, he gripped onto the edge of the sink, gritting his teeth. Craig splashed some cold water on his face, looking at himself in the mirror. He looked tired, but he always did now. Craig had a hard time sleeping now, constantly worrying about Tweek and his safety. He wondered how his in-laws were. He wondered how Butters and Red were. His outfit was nice, at least: black short sleeve button up and jeans with a pair of converse, his necklace sitting against his chest. He unbuttoned some of the buttons, the club hot and constricting. His tattoo poked out, a small smile forming on his face as he saw it.

Suddenly, his hearing aids sounded _too loud_ , hissing as everything was a loud scream. Craig ripped them out of his ears, staring at his reflection with wide eyes as he realized _he could hear without them_. His heart started pounding as he pocked his hearing aids, looking at the door slowly as he heard the music clear as day. Walking out of the bathroom with wide eyes, he frantically started searching the room. _How is this happening? Is he here? How does he know I’m here? It can’t be him._ Craig stood on the outskirts of the room for a bit, searching the crowded room. Nothing. Pushing his way through, he continued to look around, lump in his throat as he listened to the song thumping through the club. Turning his head back to face front, he froze, those green eyes unmistakable. They lured him in from across the room, crinkling as he smiled. It was like slow motion: the crowd parted enough for Craig to see Tweek, standing there in all his glory. _God_ , he looked fantastic. He couldn’t move, too in awe that _Tweek was across the room from him_. He watched the blonde raise his hand, waving slightly. Craig did the same, grin crawling across his face as he started pushing his way through the crowd. Tweek did too, a grin on his face as he started making his way to the middle of the room. Pushing through that final wall of people, they stumbled forward. Craig noticed he had a new piercing on his lip, a labret piercing he thinks it’s called. A small, thin gold hoop sat on his lip now, and _fuck_ Craig really wanted to kiss it. Their eyes locked once more as the music rung in Craig’s ear.

            _And every night my mind is running around her_

_Then it’s getting louder and louder_

_Baby you’re like lightning in a bottle_

_I can’t let you go now that I got it_

_All I need is to be struck_

_By your electric love_

As the chorus of the song hit, Craig couldn’t hold in his emotions anymore. He grabbed Tweek’s face, pulling him into a hungry kiss. _Fuck_. It was everything he had remembered, dreamt of, needed. It was perfect, breath taking, exhilarating. The piercing was so new and exciting, each press of their lips sending tingles through his body. He dropped his hands from his face wrapping his arms tightly around his husband’s waist as Tweek’s wrapped around his neck. Craig tugged him so their chests were pressed together, both boys smiling into the kiss. He was glad he was at the point where no words needed to be said, for Craig’s kisses said it all: _he missed Tweek._ Reluctantly pulling away, he leaned their foreheads together, happy tears in the corners of his eyes.

            “What…what’re you doing here?” He breathed out, his chest tight with emotion. Tweek grinned, humming softly.

            “I-I was going to surprise you at your uncle’s house. I had heard from Kenny you were coming here for college now. Your uncle told me you were here tonight, so I decided to surprise you here.” Craig let out a shaky breath, running his hand up the back of Tweek’s shirt, his skin just as soft and gentle as he remembered.

            “Kenny, huh?” Tweek snorted.

            “He and Butters have a thing.” He murmured, pressing soft kisses to Craig’s face. The taller boy let his eyes flutter shut, keeping Tweek held tight against him. It felt so _good_ having him there flush against him, his body radiating warmth. It was just like home for Craig. He smiled a bit.

            “Should’ve seen that coming,” He whispered, gripping at Tweek’s back more. “Can we get out of here?” He asked, Tweek nodding. The entire walk home, the two kept an arm tight around each other, too afraid to let go in fear of the other disappearing. Craig had sent a text to Andy to let him know he left, pocketing his phone and unlocking the door once they got to his uncle’s house. Jack was gone, probably meeting some work friends at a bar. _Good_. Craig thought, immediately leading Tweek towards his bedroom. He’s been craving sex for over a year and now he has his husband here with him. He is fully prepared to take advantage of his husband being here. Once he shut and locked (just in case) the bedroom door behind him, he kicked his shoes off, turning around to see Tweek already lying down on the bed, legs pulled up. He grinned slowly at Craig, looking him up and down.

            “You look buff.” Craig glared at him.

            “What, I didn’t look buff before?” He asked, crawling onto the bed and hovering above Tweek. The blonde below him grinned.

            “You did, but it seems like you’ve definitely been working out more.”

            “I’ve worked as a mechanic the past two summers. Lots of physical labor.” Tweek whistled, running his fingers over his biceps with a grin.

            “I can see,” He hummed, pushing Craig’s shirt aside to look at the tattoo, blushing. “When did you get this?”

            “My nineteenth birthday.”

            “Why a wave?”

            “Because my heart belongs to the sea.” Tweek blushed a bit, pulling him down for a kiss. He felt something hit his chin, pulling away to see the necklace. He blinked, holding it gently in his palm.

            “Is…is this…?”

            “Yeah,” Craig murmured, cheeks a light pink. “I found it when cleaning my room one day. It was a healthy olive green, like it should be. I wear it to keep you nearby at all times.” Tweek smiled softly, letting the necklace fall.

            “That’s so sweet.” He whispered, Craig smiling at that.

            “You think?” He asked, kissing at Tweek’s neck. The blonde shivered, letting his eyes close as he gripped at Craig’s back. _God_ , Craig missed those finger nails.

            “I do,” He breathed out, tilting his head back. “’m-m in heat, by the way.” Craig snorted, nipping at his collarbones.

            “You visit me the one week of the month you really need me?” He teased, Tweek letting out a laugh.

            “You figured me out,” He teased, smacking Craig’s shoulder. “I always need you, asshole.” He admitted, heart hammering in his chest. Craig hummed, pushing Tweek’s shirt up over his head before letting Tweek finish unbuttoning his shirt.

            “If it’s any consolation, I always need you, too.” He murmured, kissing down Tweek’s chest.

            “So what’s new in Craig’s world? It’s been a year now, yeah?”

            “Fifteen months.” Craig murmured from his spot on Tweek’s stomach, trying to kiss every square inch of freckled skin that he could.

            “Really? _Shit_ …honestly, it feels longer.” He admitted, eyes closing once more.

            “I know,” He moved back up to kiss at his nipples. “But I’m going to school for marine biology.” Tweek let out a sound that was somewhere between a laugh, moan, and a gasp as Craig sucked at his nipples.

            “Well, you’re obviously studying marine life _very closely_.” Craig pulled his lips away from the delicate skin, slowly looking up at him with a smirk.

            “I could fucking get up and leave because of that stupid ass joke.” He murmured, voice sending shivers down Tweek’s spine. He whimpered.

            “P-Please don’t, I’m _dying_.” He groaned, hips bucking up slightly. Craig chuckled, holding Tweek’s hips down with his hands as he continued to tease him with gentle kisses.

            “Well, since you asked _nicely_ , I won’t,” Craig said, placing a soft peck to his lips before pressing their hips together. Over the course of fifteen months, Craig had forgotten _just how good_ it felt to grind your hips into someone else’s, specifically Tweek’s, and Craig _will never forget again_ how good it feels. They both groaned at the needed contact, breath shaky as they looked at each other. “B-But yeah,” He rolled his hips down, grunting. “Marine biology, minor in-in physics.”

            “W-What about Clyde and-and everyone?”

            “Clyde went to University of Colorado B-Boulder,” He laced his fingers together with Tweek’s, both rocking against each other gently. “He’s going for business. Token goes to Stanford University, so he’s about a few hours from here. Going for psychology,” Craig swallowed hard, letting out a shaky breath. “Jimmy went to University of F-Florida for film.” Tweek let out a shaky breath as he nodded, sucking at Craig’s neck.

            “What-what about everyone else?” He said between kisses.

            “Stan’s at Colorado-Boulder with Clyde. H-He’s going for physical therapy. Wendy is-is in law school at Brown University. They’re still together, too. Kyle went to University of Pittsburgh for biology. Heidi’s in-in Arizona at Arizona State University for- _fuck_ -e-education,” It was getting harder to focus on the conversation the more Craig realized he needed to get naked. He reached down, unbuttoning his pants. Tweek followed his lead. He quickly rattled off where everyone else went. “Eric went to University of Tennessee for political science. Kenny’s at University of Denver for music therapy. Bebe is in New York at NYU for fashion design. She’s still with Clyde. Tricia is a junior in high school and my parents are fine.” He spat out, surging forward once they were completely naked and pressing his lips to Tweek’s. They fell backwards into the bed, arms wrapped tight around each other as they kissed. Eventually, Craig reached a hand down and grabbed at Tweek’s ass, kneading the soft skin in his hands. The blonde groaned into his mouth, biting down gently onto Craig’s lip. He gasped sharply as Craig circled his finger around his rim, Craig groaning as he had forgotten that mermaids make their own natural lubricant when in heat. _That’s so fucking handy and will save me so much money_. Rolling over so he was on top of Tweek, Craig pressed one finger in, Tweek yelling out at the sensation. It had been so long since he had gotten intimacy. When he entered heat, he resorted to fingering himself, jerking off, anything to satisfy his desires. Everything he did worked, but not well. But Craig? Oh, Craig _definitely_ sufficed. Panting slightly, Tweek looked up at Craig, eyes half lidded.

            “J-Just use two. I-I need you, okay?” He breathed out, eyes closing as Craig slowly pressed a second finger in. _God_ it was so good. He was thankful Jack wasn’t home, because he was sure that he would be loud tonight. Scissoring his fingers, Craig pressed gentle kisses to his lips over and over again, eye darting down to the piercing that was there now.

            “W-What does this piercing mean?” He asked, removing his fingers slowly and lining his hips up.

            “Married. Didn’t you notice m-my parents had them?”

            “I don’t pay that much attention to your parents lips, but I noticed them, yes.” He chuckled, Tweek letting out a soft laugh and gasping as Craig pushed in. _Oh god fucking shit_. He had forgotten everything about sex. Well, not everything. Considering they had only had sex one other time, Tweek only had that time to compare to, but now… _now_ was absolutely incredible. The fact they were in a bed was also a plus, the sand itchy against his back the last time. Craig buried his face into Tweek’s neck, keeping a somewhat slow but rough rhythm. It felt so right being here with Tweek like this. It felt so good to be back in his arms, back inside of him. It just felt _so natural_. Pushing himself up so he could look at Tweek, Craig kept a hand on either side of Tweek’s head, the blonde in a state of pure bliss.

            “ _Fuck_ , I-I missed you.” He breathed out, nails digging down Craig’s back as his thrusts got faster.

            “I missed you too, baby.” He whispered, leaning down to kiss at his neck. He reached a hand down, stroking Tweek gently in time with his thrusts. They started hitting his prostate, causing him to gasp.

            “ _Fuck! Daddy!”_ Craig froze, hips stopping deep inside Tweek and lips pulling away from his neck with a smack. They looked at each other with wide eyes, Tweek’s face flushed with embarrassment.

            “And where did we learn _that_ , young man?” He asked, a grin crawling across his face. Tweek groaned, burying his face into his hands.

            “Butters!” Craig snorted, pushing Tweek’s hands off his face.

            “How does Butters know?” Tweek snickered, a smile spreading across his face.

            “He’s dating Kenny. How else do you think?”

            “Did Butters give up his tail?”

            “For a bit. He’s always been interested in life on land. Apparently him and Kenny traveled up the California coast a bit before they consummated their love in the water.” Craig nodded, leaning his forehead against Tweek’s.

            “Don’t be embarrassed…it…it’s…kind of hot? I don’t know, it’s exciting, to say the least.” Craig admitted, moving his hips from side to side slowly. Tweek groaned, letting out a breathless laugh.

            “Yeah?”

            “Sure. I’m pretty much up to anything in bed.” Tweek smirked.

            “I’ll be sure to keep that in mind.” He purred, pressing Craig closer by digging the heel of his foot into Craig’s ass. His husband grunted on top of him, pressing their lips together as he resumed his thrusts. Whining against Craig’s lips, Tweek arched his back, trying to get as close as physically possible, arms slid between Craig’s body and his arms with his hands pressed into his shoulders. It was so good, so hot, so needed, that he felt the warmth pooling into his stomach.

            “F-Fuck, Tweek, I’m-”

            “Me-me too.” He choked out, kissing him again. Craig ripped his mouth away as his hips sputtered, calling out Tweek’s name as he came. Tweek called out his name as well (he almost let another _daddy_ slip) as he came onto his stomach. Craig gently pulled out, collapsing onto the bed next to Tweek as he tried to catch his breath. The whole room smelt like sex, but he wouldn’t trade it for the world. Everything about him just felt so good, so relaxed. Standing up slowly, he padded across the room to his bathroom, grabbing some paper towels before walking back and wiping Tweek up. The blonde grimaced.

            “Sorry, I know it sucks.” Craig chuckled, tossing the paper towels in the trash and turning the Christmas lights he had up in his room off before climbing under the blankets with Tweek. Craig laid on his back while Tweek laid on his side, head resting on his chest. He ran his fingertips up and down Tweek’s back, his husband sighing in content.

            “I fucking _missed you_ …I was so lost without you.” He whispered into the quiet room, Craig closing his eyes.

            “I know…because I was lost without _you_.” He whispered back, Tweek nuzzling his cheek into his chest more.

            “Let’s just…sleep now, alright? We can talk more in the morning, really get to catch up.” Craig chuckled, the sound music to Tweek’s ears.

            “We can catch up without our dicks doing the talking.” Tweek swatted lightly at his chest, causing Craig to let out a laugh.

            “Shut it, will ya?” But Tweek was laughing too, leaning up and pressing a quick peck to Craig’s lips. As they settled in for the night, there was only one thing of Craig’s mind, and that was Tweek. Likewise, there was one thing on Tweek’s mind, and that was Craig. Both boys went to bed feeling refreshed, relaxed, and truly, utterly happy for the first time in over a year, and it was well worth the wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to make this a light hearted chapter after that downer of a chapter I wrote yesterday. Also, I'll admit it, I'm kinda into the daddy thing?! Like, not as a "I wanna fuck my dad" thing, but in a "dominate me" kinda way? Fuck, that doesn't make sense, but long story short, I have a daddy kink!! Fun fact about me! Wowie! Hope you enjoyed this sappy ass chapter! We will be wrapping things up soon so buckle up, babies! Thanks for reading, and as always, any and all feedback is appreciated!  
> Song:  
> Electric Love-Børns: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYr96YYEaZY  
> (listen to this song as you read them kiss it's like hella emotional)


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I made a spotify playlist that contains all songs mentioned in this fic! Check it out!  
> https://open.spotify.com/user/3s69p2v4dhp8wrha527fv9enm/playlist/42OaZiMQoHPWPBydpHxUf9?si=sSHAYb9QRueDflEfVEeBDw
> 
> Check out my twitter!  
> https://twitter.com/craigorytucker
> 
> Check out my tumblr!  
> crowded-skies.tumblr.com

Warm. Tweek felt so _warm_ when he slowly blinked his eyes open in the morning. He felt gentle breathing against his shoulder, the breath even warm against his skin. Craig was spooning him, his cheek leaning against the back of Tweek’s shoulder. The blonde just took a moment to really appreciate the moment, cuddling himself further into his husband’s grip and letting his eyes flutter shut once more. He wasn’t ready to get up and start the day, not with Craig holding him tightly in place. Tweek only opened his eyes when he felt Craig take a long inhale, warm lips pressing against his shoulder as he exhaled. Tweek smiled, humming in content at all the warmth surrounding him.

            “Morning.” Craig mumbled from behid him, voice groggy with sleep. It warmed Tweek’s heart.

            “Hey you.” He whispered, rolling over so he could bury his face into the crook of Craig’s neck. Craig happily wrapped both arms tight around Tweek, face burying into his hair.

            “Sleep well?” He murmured, fingers rubbing up and down his back. Tweek nodded.

            “Wonderfully.”

            “Hungry?”

            “A bit. I just wanna lie here.” He admitted, running his thumb over Craig’s hip bone. The taller boy hummed, running his fingers through Tweek’s hair.

            “That’s fine with me,” He chuckled, glancing down at Tweek’s face. _God_ it felt so natural waking up like this. “I told you about my life in the past fifteen months, so tell me about yours.” He said, pulling away so they could look at each other. There was a little bit of light slipping through his curtains, the room cast in an orange glow. Tweek bit his lip.

            “Well…it…wasn’t eventful. I spent the first three months it seems having panic attacks constantly. I just…kept worrying about you and missing you and I didn’t like not knowing how you were doing. You were constantly on my fucking mind. I didn’t mind it but it also _drove me crazy_. I-I knew you wouldn’t have wanted me to think so much about the distance…but I couldn’t _help it_. Things just weren’t the same. Butters and Red did everything they could to help. They took me out for dolphin races and to relax on the back of a manta ray…but…there was… _an incident_.” Craig blinked.

            “What do you mean there was an incident?” He hissed, panic settling into his stomach. Tweek swallowed hard, looking down.

            “About five months after we had been apart…we were out swimming, Butters and Red were with me. It was late. Probably close to midnight. We were almost home…and, of course, this happened to _me_ ,” He swallowed hard, looking down. “There was a fishing boat pulling in a haul…we didn’t see the net. As it was pulled up, I got trapped. Fishermen never come to our parts, so we never think about them. But as I was being pulled up, Butters and Red tried to grab the net, but the fishermen were moving so fast because they wanted to go home. They freaked when they saw me…I thought I was going back to an aquarium for sure…but they just kept me on the boat. They poked and prodded at me for _hours_. They wouldn’t just let me go. They tried to figure everything they could about me. God, they were _disgusting_. They were lonely…missed the love of another…wanted something exotic, they said…,” Tweek shivered, closing his eyes. “T-They made me… _shit_.” Craig’s heart fell into his stomach as he watched Tweek to struggle for the right words.

            “You don’t have to tell me, Tweek.” He whispered, stroking his hair. Tweek shook his head, letting out a shaky breath.

            “T-They made me suck their dicks… _fuck_ , there was, like, six of them. I-I felt so _violated_. I was so scared I couldn’t even control their blood to get away. I-I didn’t even think about that. I-I just felt so scared, so helpless… _fuck!_ All I-I wanted was _you_! B-But I couldn’t have you! You were home! You-You were probably better off than I-I was!” He let out a soft sob, trying to control his emotions, but Craig could tell he hadn’t told anyone this and it had been eating away at him. Swallowing hard, Craig pulled him into his arms, closing his eyes as Tweek sobbed softly. Finally, Craig felt like he could share _his_ experience without Tweek.

            “I fell back into my depression…I got so fucking _drunk_ every chance I could. I wanted to numb the pain. I wanted to _die_. I-It felt so pointless without you by my side. At one point, I really thought I would never see you again. I planned it out…how I’d kill myself…,” Tweek looked up at him slowly, eyes wide. “But…I-I couldn’t. I was being selfish. I couldn’t do that to you…my mom, dad, sister. I couldn’t. _That_ idea hurt more than anything. So…I went to therapy. That helped for a bit…but every place we went to in town physically made me _sick_ to even be around…the guys tried so hard to help me. I appreciate their efforts, but everything just sucked. Work as a mechanic helped me find some joy in something, so I knew I wasn’t totally fucked in the head. I just…there were so many _things_ I wish you were there for…prom, my track season, graduation, the summer…it just _fucking sucked_ not having you in my house all the time. My bed felt too big and the room seemed so barren without you there to brighten it up…” He choked out, biting hard on his lip to stop himself from crying. They didn’t say anything after that, letting their admittance to losing to the distance sit in the air for a moment. Tweek opted to push himself up so they were face to face, pressing their lips together gently to relax their shaking bodies. Craig audibly sighed into the kiss, practically melting under his touch. Pulling away after a few more gentle pecks to the lips, Tweek felt his lips tug up slightly into a smile.

            “Thank you for sharing with me…”

            “Tweek, thank _you_. I…I couldn’t imagine how hard that must’ve been…”

            “I…only told my mom. I couldn’t bring myself to tell my dad. I just…I didn’t leave the house for a while from fear…and it took me a few months to eventually venture back out into open waters. I just…all I wanted was for you to be there with me…and it hurt that you couldn’t…” Craig cupped his face.

            “It hurts me knowing this was happening and I couldn’t stop it,” He whispered, pecking his lips. “But…I have something that may cheer you up.” Craig held his finger up as he stood, tugging on a pair of boxers before padding out of the room and down the hall. Tweek furrowed his brows, sitting up in bed as he heard Craig coming back. He gasped, a grin spreading across his face as he saw what Craig had in his arms.

            “Pluto!” He yelled, eyes crinkling he was grinning so wide. The octopus jumped out of Craig’s arms, scuttling across the floor next to where Tweek’s side of the bed was, the blonde scooping him up and holding him close. He pressed kisses to his head as Craig sat back down next to Tweek, smiling softly.

            “He _really_ missed you.” Craig chuckled, watching the two interact.

            “Oh, Pluto! Have you behaved for Craig? Have you been eating right? Does he take you to the beach?” He asked, the octopus raising a tentacle to signify yes to all of his questions.

            “He really enjoys the beach. I’ll take him down there normally once I get back from classes,” Craig laid down, humming. “Would you take him back with you? He needs to be in the ocean…not some tank in the living room.” He murmured, scratching the middle of Pluto’s head. Tweek nodded, smiling softly.

            “Of course! Would you like that Pluto?” The octopus seemed conflicted, looking between Tweek and Craig. He had grown accustomed to being with Craig that he felt odd trying to decide between the two. Craig could sense it, chuckling softly as he scratched between Pluto’s eyes.

            “It’s okay, buddy. I’ll come and visit you both, alright? You belong with Tweek in the ocean.” He murmured to him, the octopus wrapping his arms around Craig’s neck and crawling up on top of his head. Craig chuckled, pushing a tentacle out of his face and looking at Tweek.

            “What do you want to do today?” Tweek hummed, smiling at the sight of two of his favorite boys.

            “Well…I’d love to see where you go to school, if that’s okay?” He asked, eyes hopeful. Craig smiled.

            “That could be arranged.” He said, plucking Pluto off the top of his head. He wrapped his tentacles around Craig’s arm, hanging from it.

            “He seems to really enjoy your company.” Tweek laughed, watching the way Pluto clung to his arm. Craig let out a soft laugh.

            “I love his company, but there are some instances where he doesn’t let go and his suction cups leave hickies on my arms. My friends give me some weird stares,” Craig stood up and walked out the room, coming back without Pluto. He walked over to his closet, glancing over at Tweek. “I, um, brought the clothes my parents bought you…ya know, just in case you ever came around…” Tweek blushed, the sentiment so simple yet special to him. He reluctantly crawled out of bed, having forgotten how comfortable they were. Walking over to stand next to Craig, he scanned the clothes that he had brought. He decided to go with a mustard yellow turtle neck, capri jeans, and high top sneakers with his signature black boaters hat to hide his ears. Craig wore a black button up with a sweatshirt from his school pulled over top, some jeans, and high top sneakers as well.

            “How do I look?” Tweek asked after he had finished getting ready, doing a spin on the ball of his feet. Craig grinned, grabbing a beat-up NASA baseball cap and putting it on his head.

            “Smashing.” He said, tossing Tweek a pair of round sunglasses. The blonde grinned, linking arms with Craig as they left the house. They walked in a comfortable silence for a while, Tweek looking up at Craig after a bit.

            “Can we go get breakfast?” Craig put a hand on his stomach as it growled, almost as if on cue. He chuckled.

            “I’d be down. There’s a good place on campus we can go to if you want.” Tweek nodded, grinning from ear to ear. It had been so long since he had taken a walk like this, felt the sun really hit his skin. The fact that he was with _Craig_ just made everything so much better. Walking up to the line that stood in front of a little window shop. Tweek sniffed the air, sighing in content.

            “I miss your mom’s cooking.” He said, looking up at Craig. He snorted.

            “God, you and me both. I love my Uncle Jack, but _man_ , he is _not_ the best cook.” Tweek let out a laugh, looking up at the menu. Craig ordered for them both and they stepped aside while they waited for their orders (Craig got a bagel with bacon, egg, and cheese with a hash brown in the middle and Tweek got the same thing but on a croissant). Once they got their food and iced coffess (Tweek had never had it and was _dying_ to try), they sat down at a picnic table that was set up nearby. Tweek’s eyes widened as he sipped the ice coffee, glancing up at Craig.

            “This is so good! Why does this taste better than hot coffee?!” His ice coffee was already half way done before Craig could even unwrap his sandwich. He snickered, sipping at his own iced coffee.

            “You like it that much?”

            “It almost tastes stronger to me!”

            “Really? You like _that strong_ of coffee?”

            “ _Absolutely_. I missed coffee in liquid form so much!” Craig grinned at that, spotting Greg, Steven, and Andy waving at him. He swore under his breath a bit.

            “Hey, honey, so some of my friends are coming over. If they ask, you work with your parents at their coffee shop and you want to one day take over for them and that’s why you don’t go to school.” Tweek raised an eyebrow, smirk on his face.

            “Damn, that’s a good lie, Tucker.” He chuckled, jumping as a hand clasped onto his shoulder.

            “Fuckin’-ay, dude, you didn’t tell me your boo was coming to town!” Greg said, a grin on his face as he plopped down next to Tweek. Steven squeezed in on the other side of Tweek, the blonde’s eyebrows visible to Craig over the rim of his sunglasses at this point. Craig snickered as Andy slid into the seat next to him, Craig looking at the three of them.

            “It was a surprise.” He said, taking a bite of his sandwich. Tweek took his sunglasses off, eyes crinkling from how wide he was grinning. Craig likes it when his eyes look like that.

            “Oh, well look at _you_! We could just eat you up!” Steven cooed, pinching Tweek’s cheeks. The blonde grimaced, tugging his face away.

            “You haven’t even introduced yourselves and you’re gonna grab my face?” Andy smirked.

            “Oooo he’s _feisty_.”

            “I am not! I just don’t want my damn face pinched!” He whined, bottom lip pouting slightly. Craig rubbed his foot gently over Tweek’s ankle to calm him.

            “Tweek, this is Andy, Steven, and Greg.” He pointed to each of them respectively as he introduced them. They all grinned, waving to Tweek.

            “How long you in town for?” Greg asked, trying to grab Craig’s sandwich. He batted Greg’s hand away with a scowl.

            “For a bit. I’m in no rush to return home.”

            “Family business is that bad?” Andy asked, trying to grab Craig’s iced coffee. He batted Andy’s hand away, glaring at him.

            “Not bad, just crazy,” Tweek lied, sipping the remnants of his ice coffee. “I’ve been working there since I was ten so you can imagine it gets boring after so long.” Craig blinked after taking a bite of his sandwich, surprised Tweek came up with a backstory so quickly for the lie he came up with.

            “Ten years old? Is that even legal?” Steven asked.

            “It’s a family business. You can start working whenever.” Tweek shrugged, taking a bite of his sandwich. Andy studied his face.

            “You got lots of piercings, dude. Was it expensive?” He narrowed his eyes as if he was studying the jewelry from across the table. Tweek shrugged.

            “I’ve had them for so long now that I can’t remember the prices.” He lied, tensing as Greg grabbed his hat and put it on his own head. Tweek quickly tossed his sandwich down covering his ears. Craig’s eyes widened before glaring at Greg.

            “Dude!”

            “What? Does it not work with my face shape?”

            “No! You don’t just fucking take my husband’s hat!” Greg snorted.

            “Dude, I’m just trying it- _shit!_ ” Tweek focused on the open water bottle Greg had, making it fall forward onto his lap. While he was distracted, he quickly grabbed his hat and put it back on his head, making sure his ears were covered. Craig smirked a bit at that, finishing the last of his sandwich and crumping the tin foil it was wrapped in. He tossed it at Greg’s head, chuckling.

            “Way to go, asshole.”

            “I didn’t touch it! It isn’t even windy! I have no idea how the fuck this happened!” He whined, standing up to try and ring out his pants. Tweek smirked at Craig.

            “Maybe you should close your water bottles. This is why this shit happens.” He teased, Craig letting out a laugh. Greg glared at him.

            “I don’t like you two together. You fuel each other’s fires.” Tweek and Craig both laughed, tossing their heads back in time with each other. Steven smirked.

            “Damn, they’re in sync.” Craig stood, Tweek following suit.

            “I’m showing him around campus. You three stooges are welcome to join us.” Tweek tossed their trash out before coming back and looping his arm through Craig’s, sunglasses back on his face. Andy shrugged.

            “Sure, why not.” He mumbled, standing. The other two followed suit, all four of them explaining certain buildings to Tweek and the best places to eat and party on campus. They walked around for about a half an hour before Steven stretched his arms above his head.

            “Let’s go to the beach.” He said, Andy and Greg gasping.

            “Dude! Beach day! Totally! We can go just like this! We’re all dudes! We’ll swim in our boxers!” Greg yelled, hands flying all around. Craig held up his hands in defense.

            “Christ, dude, calm the fuck down,” He laughed, glancing at Tweek. “Up to you, hon.” The three of them gagged, Craig flipping them off after a moment to make it seem like he didn’t hear it right away.

            “I’m okay with that.” Tweek said, smiling softly. They all walked to the beach, Craig pointing out places still to Tweek to show him what he’s been up to in LA (mainly eating at nice restaurants with his uncle and enjoying some delicious food). Once at the beach, Greg and Steven went into the water while Craig, Tweek, and Andy sat on the sand under a public use umbrella. They had been there for about a half an hour before Craig put a cigarette between his lips, flicking his zippo open to light it. Tweek made a face, Craig seeing it out of the corner of his eye.

            “What?”

            “You still smoke those things?” Tweek whined, Craig smirking a bit.

            “I’m trying to quit,” He said as he exhaled. “I’m down to one or two every few days.” He said, grinning proudly. Tweek smiled.

            “Good,” He kissed his cheek. “I’m proud of you.” Tweek jumped as Greg and Steven plopped into the sand next to them, dripping wet. Greg looked at Tweek, grinning.

            “Isn’t Craig’s hair getting long?” He chuckled, Tweek looking at Craig. He smiled, lifting up his hat to run his fingers through Craig’s hair before placing the hat back down.

            “Yeah I guess so. Longer from the last time I’ve seen it.” He giggled, Craig blushing a bit.

            “It’s for a show he’s in! He has to grow it out for his part. Are you coming to it?” Craig froze, almost dropping his cigarette as he coughed on his exhale.

            “ _Fuck!_ ” He coughed out, quickly inhaling again. He hasn’t told Tweek about that yet. He was gonna wait until it was closer. He grinned innocently as Tweek looked at him, eyebrow raised.

            “Show?” Tweek asked, running a finger along Craig’s jaw. He shivered, coughing once more to clear his throat.

            “I-I, uh, decided to try performing.”

            “It’s insane, too! He uses his feet to follow along with the tempo of the pit!” Steven explained, Tweek glancing over at him before turning his attention back to Craig.

            “What show?” Craig inhaled slowly through his nose, held the breath for a moment, before slowly exhaling.

            “Rocky Horror Picture Show.” He breathed out, burying his face in his hands. He wasn’t embarrassed to be in the most sexual musical known to man (well, it was in Craig’s opinion). Oh no, Craig just wasn’t sure _how to explain_ the show he was in to his husband. Hell, it took Craig a while to fully understand the show.

            “What is that?”

            “Sex as a musical.” Andy said, Craig’s eyes widening as he heard him. He pretended he hadn’t heard him, looking at him.

            “What?”

            “Sex as a musical. Hell, I’m stage crew, and some of the shit you’ve had to do as Frank-N-Furter man is crazy.” Greg and Steven gasped.

            “You’re _Frank-N-Furter?!”_ They said, Craig groaning into his hands.

            “Yes! Now we have to show Tweek the damn movie because he won’t understand a damn thing because I sure as hell didn’t first time round.” He sighed, standing slowly with all of them. They decided to go to Jack’s house since it was close by, Craig unlocking the door and letting them in. The guys all looked around, grinning.

            “Damn, your uncle has a nice place.” Greg whistled, spinning around as he walked.

            “Don’t fucking touch anything, alright? He’s at work and I don’t need him coming home to a fucking mess.” He yelled over his shoulder as he walked to the living room, rummaging through his uncle’s DVD collection. He eventually found his copy of the Rocky Horror Picture Show, putting it in the DVD player and pressing play after he settled on the couch with Tweek.

            “Dude, do you need subtitles?” Andy asked, Craig quickly thinking of an excuse not to put them on for once.

            “Nah, I’m okay. I know the movie forwards and backwards at this point.” He said, glancing at Tweek. The blonde had curious eyes, curling up against Craig’s side as the movie started. Tweek smiled a bit as he heard music, realizing then that it was a musical. _Thank god, I get to hear Craig sing at this performance_.

* * *

 

            “Why would they go to the creepiest place possible for help? That castle just _screams_ ‘don’t come near me’!”

            “What would you do, Tweek, if that was your only option.”

            “I’d fucking suffer.”

* * *

            “That’s _you_?! Well, your part?!”

            “Yeah. That costume is so fucking tight.”

            “Good.”

* * *

 

            “You kill a man?!”

            “Eddie’s a pain in the ass. He reminds me of Cartman.”

* * *

 

            “This is kind of rapey.”

            “I know, right? I have to do this _live in front of hundreds of people.”_

* * *

           “They _ate him?!”_

            “I love ripping the table cloth off. I feel like a magician gone wrong.”

* * *

 

            “It’s a fucking pool orgy.”

            “Yeah, no other way to explain it.”

            “How do you portray this on stage?”

            “Very carefully.”

* * *

 

As the movie finished an hour and a half later, Tweek looked at Craig with wide eyes, a grin on his face.

            “Do you keep the costumes?” Craig snorted.

            “No, but I get to keep the fishnets.” Tweek let out a laugh, dropping his head to Craig’s lap. He looked up at him.

            “When’s the show?” He asked.

            “Two weeks. Opening night is on Friday the 13th.”

            “They’re also having a performance on Halloween, aka, Craig’s twentieth birthday!” Steven cooed, pinching Craig’s cheek. He batted his hand away.

            “The fuck is with you all and pinching cheeks today?!” Craig grimaced, flipping them off. Tweek giggled. “Anyways, my family and all our friends from home are flying out for the Halloween show, so if you want to see them, you should come to that one.”

            “Can I?” Craig looked at him, chuckling.

            “If you really want to.” Tweek sat up, leaning over to whisper into Craig’s ear so the other three couldn’t hear.

            “And miss seeing you prance around in fishnets, make-up, and a corset? _No fucking way_ , _Tucker_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Listen, Rocky Horror Picture Show is one of my favorite shows of all time music wise and story wise and I just really wanted to see my music deprived boy in this show. Hope you enjoyed! I know this chapter is a bit crazy, but don't worry! Next chapter is the show ;) Fun fact: my college's LGBTQ+ club puts on a Rocky Horror performance with the movie playing behind it each year. I went this past Halloween and they have "virgin" games for anyone who has never seen the show live before (I had seen it, just not live). There are two games: best fake orgasm and best lap dance. Mama gave a lap dance and was voted best lap dance by a room full of college students who watched me give said lap dance. ;) And Craig's breakfast order is my go to breakfast order at my fave breakfast place on campus! Okay! Enough about me! Hope you enjoyed, and as always, any and all feedback is appreciated! (I go back to classes tomorrow so my uploading may change a bit!)


	22. Chapter 22

Even though Craig knew he would be seeing Tweek in a few weeks, it still hurt saying goodbye. It always would, and Craig just had to accept that. Tweek spent one more night at Craig’s before returning to the ocean, Craig having rehearsal all week for the show along with classes. It would be a lie to say he wasn’t nervous, because the truth is: Craig is terrified. Why did they give him _the fucking lead?!_ The deaf kid, of all people! Sure, there are deaf performers, but Craig never envisioned himself as one of them. All of the shows except the show on his birthday would have a pit orchestra. They would be playing the movie on a screen behind them as they performed on the show that fell on his birthday, treating it as if it was a normal Halloween showing of Rocky Horror. It was hard following the pit, but he did it. Some way somehow, he did it, and Craig was really proud of himself for that. He took all of this as a learning experience. He learned to follow live orchestral music through the vibrations, eventually feeling them through the heels he had to wear (he hated those shoes. They gave him blisters). Craig also learned to keep tempo, the conductor often exaggerating her movements so Craig could follow the count even with the auditorium lights off.  

By the first performance, Craig had managed to perfect three things: following a tempo, following an orchestra, and walking in heels. He also learned how to put fishnets on, but he still struggled to the point he needed to ask the girl playing Janet for help at times. All of the shows went off without a hitch, but come the day of Craig’s twentieth birthday and the last performance, Craig had a few nerves appear. He wasn’t that nervous, just nervous as to how his friends would react. Craig was currently lying in bed, scrolling through his phone as he tried to distract himself. It was weird, but he wasn’t _that_ excited for his birthday this year. Twenty was an odd age: you’re too old to be treated like a kid but too young to drink still. Craig jumped as his phone buzzed in his hands, seeing it was his mom wanting to Facetime him. He chuckled, leaning the phone against his headboard and rolling onto his stomach as he answered. Laura’s bright face greeted him, and Craig could tell they just landed in Los Angeles from their flight.

            “ _Happy Birthday, my sweet boy!”_ She signed, a smile crawling across Craig’s face. He had gotten a few happy birthday texts from his friends, but his mom’s call always felt the most important.

            “ _Thanks, mom,”_ He signed back, chuckling. “ _You guys just land?”_

_“Yes. We should be at your Uncle’s within the hour. Are you done classes for the day?”_

_“Yeah, I only had two today and they’re back to back_.” Laura nodded, Tricia’s face popping into frame.

            “ _Hey, shithead, happy birthday.”_ She signed with a grin. Craig snorted, flipping her off.

            “ _Thanks, asshole,”_ He chuckled. “ _Where’s dad at?”_

 _“Getting our bags…I know this is a last minute request, but could you maybe get us?”_ Laura asked, batting her eye lashes. Craig snorted.

            “ _Oh, it went from ‘we’ll see you within the hour’ to ‘come get us, please’?”_ Laura let out a laugh.

            “ _Well, when you put it that way…”_ She signed, Craig chuckling as he slowly stood up, grabbing his keys and wallet as he walked towards the front door.

            “I’ll see you soon, mom.” He said, Laura nodding and waving as he hung up. Craig got in his car, putting the top down. He had to hand it to LA: it was the perfect place to have a convertible. As he drove to the airport, Craig just took the time to enjoy the way his life had panned out. He was twenty years old (officially, as of eleven thirteen am), married to the love of his life, on his way to pick his family up, and driving in the most incredible car in sixty eight degree weather at the end of October. Even though he couldn’t hear, he could still appreciate the things that life had to offer, and Craig, for once, was okay with that.

* * *

 

            “It’s the dancing queen himself!” Tricia yelled as she rushed over to hug Craig, her brother letting out an ‘ _oomph’_ as she collided into him. He chuckled, furrowing his brows.

            “Did you say dancing queen?” Laura nodded with a chuckle as she walked over. “That’s seventeen years old, Tricia!” She snorted, pulling away to look up at Craig.

            “You were so excited to dance to that on your seventeenth birthday.” She teased, Craig rolling his eyes after he finished reading her lips.

            “ _You’re seventeen soon. You’ll wanna dance to it, too.”_ He signed, Tricia sticking her tongue out and flipping him off, Craig quickly following suit with his middle finger. Thomas tossed their suitcases into Craig’s trunk, quickly hoping into the passenger’s seat. Laura groaned.

            “Thomas, I swear, you’re Craig’s age again when it comes to his car.”

            “Laura, I never had a car like this, but I’m damn proud that Craig saved his money up to buy this car.” Craig snorted as he got in the driver’s seat, Laura and Tricia climbing into the back. The drive back to Jack’s house was relatively quiet (since Craig can’t really pay attention to their lips and sign while he drives), so the vibrations of Def Leppard on the car radio was Craig’s entertainment for the half hour car ride. Once they got back, Tricia and Craig took a walk along the beach, Craig chewing on his bottom lip. Okay, so he never told his family he was part mermaid. He wasn’t sure _how_ to come out and say ‘ _I fucked my husband and now I, too, can go back and forth between land and sea_ ’. Tricia nudged his arm as they walked.

            “Talk. You seem so tense.” He chuckled a bit, kicking some of the sand as he walked.

            “I just…need to show you something, alright? But you have to promise you won’t tell mom and dad…keep this between us for now.” Tricia blinked, looking up at Craig as they stopped walking.

            “I…Craig, are you alright?”

            “Nothing’s wrong. Just,” He held his pinky out. “Promise?” Tricia searched her brother’s face for some sort of panic or sadness or anger, but there was none, only hope. She nodded slowly, looping their pinkies.

            “Pinky promise,” She whispered, the sound of the ocean louder than her voice. Craig pocketed his hearing aids before tugging his shirt over his head and pants off. Tricia blinked as she was handed a pile of clothes, watching her brother run into the ocean and dive under the surface. A minute had passed. No Craig. “Craig?!” She called out, slight panic in her voice. “Craig!” Tricia tossed his clothes to the side, tugging her clothes off before rushing out into the water. She was up to her waist at this point. “Craig!” Tears filled her eyes as she twisted around searching for her brother. _How could he just disappear?!_ As she turned around back towards the horizon, she let out a scream, falling backwards into the water as Craig floated past on his back, his long blue tail out for her to see. He let out a laugh as he watched her disappear under the surface of the water, her red hair whipping around as she surfaced. “What the _fuck?!_ ” She screamed, Craig grinning at her.

            “You okay?” She punched his arm, Craig letting out a yell of pain.

            “Don’t fucking _scare me like that_! I thought you _died_ or some shit!” She yelled, angry tears in her eyes. Tricia grumbled as she wiped them away with the palms of her hand, Craig frowning slightly. He grabbed her hands, giving them a squeeze.

            “Hey, I’m sorry, it’s okay.” He cooed, smiling a bit. Tricia sniffled, finally taking in the sight in front of her. So, okay, her brother had _a tail_ , and he wasn’t _born_ with a tail. She knew he had to have sex with Tweek in order for him to get his tail back, but she didn’t think that meant _Craig_ would get a tail of his own.

            “How…how long have you had this?” She asked, Craig humming softly as he glanced down at the blue scales.

            “Since Tweek left for the first time, so a little over a year.” Tricia nodded, glancing down at the scales as well.

            “Can I…?” She held her hand out, Craig nodding. Tricia ran her hand lightly over the scales, causing Craig to shiver. He chewed on his bottom lip, swallowing hard.

            “I’m nervous about my show tonight.” He blurted out, Tricia blinking and looking at him.

            “Why? You’ve done so many already.” Craig nodded slowly after reading her lips, but sighed.

            “I know it’s just…different,” He sat up somewhat in the water, chewing on his lip again. “You guys are here and then…all my friends are flying in and _Tweek_ will be there…it’s just…there’s a lot of pressure. I want you guys to like it…”

            “Craig,” Tricia took a hold of his shoulders, smiling at him. “I watched the movie after mom and dad went to bed one night. I am so _fucking excited_ to see my brother wearing some of these outfits as Frank-N-Furter on stage! And it’s your Halloween! This movie is a Halloween themed movie in a way! And it’s your birthday! And all your friends will be there! _Tweek_ will be there tonight! We love you and you have nothing to worry about, okay? We’ll be cheering for you, but I’ll be cheering the loudest.” Craig smiled a bit at that, letting out a shaky breath after processing her words.

            “Thanks, Tricia.” He murmured, his sister nodding.

            “Come on,” She started heading towards the shore. “You gotta show to prepare for.”

* * *

 

            “Do any of you actually know anything about this show?” Clyde asked Token and Jimmy as they made their way down the street towards the performance center on Craig’s campus.

            “Yeah, I used to watch it with my parents each Halloween.” Token said, Jimmy snickering.

            “I-I’ve seen-seen it a f-f-few times. Y-You know no-nothing, Clyde?”

            “No! I haven’t heard of it until Craig texted us about it!” Token smirked at Jimmy.

            “Clyde, you’re in for a treat tonight.”

            “So it’s a good show?”

            “It would be a good show no matter what! We’re supporting Craig!” Token smacked his arm as they walked in, spotting Craig’s family nearby. Tricia spotted them first, rushing over and hugging them all. It’s been a while since she’s last seen the guys, as well.

            “It’s the youngest Tucker!” Clyde grinned, hugging her close. Clyde blinked, noticing as Tricia hugged Jimmy and Token that she had a red “ **V** ” on her forehead. “Wait, what’s the red ‘V’ for?!”

            “If-if you’ve n-n-never seen _Rocky H-Horror_ live b-b-before, they-they have games b-before the show called the v-v-virgin games.” Jimmy explained, Token smirking as a girl dressed in thigh high boots, fish nets, and a revealing costume sauntered over.

            “You want to be marked for the games, cutie?” She purred, holding the lipstick up for Clyde to see. He gasped.

            “Fuck yeah!” She giggled a bit and put a red “ **V** ” on his forehead like Tricia, before turning to Jimmy and Token.

            “You gentlemen ever see it live?”

            “I’ve seen it before, but never live.” Token said, the girl holding the tube of lipstick up. Token nodded, the girl marking him.

            “S-Seen it live.” Jimmy said, the girl smiling.

            “Hope you boys have fun.” She purred before walking away, Clyde letting out a scream as a pair of hands clasped down on his shoulders.

            “Jesus, Clyde, you’re still a scaredy cat.” Kenny laughed, Stan, Kyle, and Eric not far behind.

            “Don’t fucking sneak up on me like that, dude!” He clutched at his chest as he tried to calm his beating heart, Stan snorting.

            “You’re still dramatic, too.”

            “Where’re the girls?” Token asked.

            “Wendy and Heidi are parking the cars.” Kyle said, Clyde cursing under his breath.

            “Shit! I was supposed to call Bebe! I’ll be right back!” He rushed out of front door past Wendy and Heidi as they walked in, both going to their respective spouse. Stan kissed Wendy’s cheek while Kyle kissed Heidi’s forehead, Eric grimacing.

            “Eugh, I need more single friends.” He grumbled, leaning against Jimmy slightly. Jimmy snorted.

            “Y-You and m-me both.” He grumbled back, both boys laughing to themselves. Clyde came back in, but this time with Bebe, Butters, and Tweek.

            “I found the blonde trio of our dreams!” Clyde said, trying to get his arms around all three. Tricia let out a scream and tossed her arms around Tweek, the blonde giggling softly into her hair. Kenny grabbed Butter’s wrist, tugging him away.

            “Nuh uh, gimme my blonde!” He grinned, pressing a chaste kiss to Butters’ lips. It had been awhile since he last saw Butters. Kenny had saved money up not long after their trip to take Tweek back home to go back to California. He knew from the first time he saw Butters he needed to see him again. He wasn’t sure how he did it, but he managed to find Tweek, who was so kind to introduce him properly to Butters. Kenny spent _hours_ talking to him in that little boat he rented, entranced and interested in everything there is about Butters. The mermaid made the rash decision to get in the boat, after telling Tweek his plan, and let his tail dry on the ride back. Once the two got back to shore, Kenny gave Butters his parka to cover himself with until they got back to the hotel. After traveling up the coast of California together for about a month and Kenny introducing Butters to everything he wanted to know about life on land, they consummated their love in the waters, just like Tweek and Craig had to. So, yes, Kenny McCormick was also a mermaid now as well. A bright orange tail shows up when he wants it to, and he loves having a secret like that.

This time, a guy wearing a similar outfit as the girl who marked Clyde and Token wandered over, smiling softly at them.

            “Have any of you seen the show live before?” Stan and Kyle looked at each other.        

            “Seen it, just not live.” They said, the guy smirking and holding up the lipstick. They both nodded, letting themselves be marked.

”Same! Never live!” Kenny said, getting marked

“I’ve never seen it!” Butter’s said, letting himself be marked with a smile. The girls all looked at each other before grinning. 

            “Same! Just not live before.” Wendy said, letting herself be marked.

            “I’ve never seen it live.” Bebe said, getting marked as Heidi grinned.

            “I’ve seen it live!” Eric blinked.

            “I’ve never seen it!” He said, letting himself be marked. Tweek blushed.

            “Seen it, just not live.” He said, letting himself be marked as well. The guy smirked at them all, grinning slowly.

            “Have fun, cuties.” He said before sauntering away.

            “He had nice hips.” Stan murmured, Wendy letting out a laugh. Tweek made his way over to Laura and Thomas, both seeing him and smiling.

            “Tweek!” Laura practically squealed, tossing her arms around him. Tweek grinned, gripping at her back. _God_ he missed the Tuckers. It had been so long since he’s last seen them.

            “Hi, Mrs. Tucker!” He giggled, letting her cup his face in her hands.

            “Look at you! You look amazing! And that lip piercing! What does that symbolize?!” She asked, eyes full of curiosity. Tweek blushed, running the tip of his tongue out over it.

            “Married.” He said, Laura grinning slowly.

            “I love it.” She said, Thomas clamping his hand down on Tweek’s shoulder.

            “I’ve missed seeing you in the house, kiddo. Hope life at home has been great for you!”

            “It’s been wonderful being home. Sometimes I wonder if I should just come on land for good but…I’m not ready to leave home yet.”

            “It’s understandable,” Laura said. “That’s a big adjustment. It’s not like you’re moving to another state like we would. You’re literally going from,” She looked around quickly to make sure no one was listening. “Sea to land.” She whispered. Tweek chuckled a bit.

            “Yeah…I just don’t want to leave my parents yet. I’m an only child and I don’t know how they’ll be when it’s just the two of them again. It hasn’t been the two of them in almost twenty years!” Thomas chuckled.

            “I’m sure they appreciate you thinking about them like that, Tweek,” The crowd around them started making their way into the auditorium as the doors opened. “Come on, kiddo. Let’s go to our seats.”

* * *

 

Craig knew Tweek was there. They weren’t close enough that Craig could hear incredibly great, but close enough that he could hear without his hearing aids. They had just finished their vocal warm ups and now Craig was in his dressing room getting changed before he had to go to hair and make-up. Craig had to admit, he would miss having his hair and make-up done. It was a relaxing time, really. After Craig _finally_ finished putting on his first costume (he loves them, but there are so many parts to each one), he made his way down to the hair and make-up girls, hearing a bit of the games that were going on in the auditorium. He swore he heard Clyde, and that doesn’t surprise him. Sitting down in the chair he’s sat in for the past three weekends, the two girls, Sabrina and Holly, grinned at him.

            “You seem a little excited tonight, birthday boy.” Holly said, smoothing on his foundation. He chuckled, closing his eyes as Sabrina started curling his hair.

            “My family and friends are here,” He smirked a bit. “My husband is, too.” They both gasped.

            “He’s here?!” Sabrina squealed, grinning at him. Craig couldn’t stop the smile that crawled across his face. It had only been a few weeks but he missed Tweek more than anything.

            “Yeah,” He listened carefully at the sound of the laughter coming from the auditorium, soaking it all in. “He’s definitely here tonight.”

* * *

 

            “I can’t believe Kenny beat me out for best fake orgasm.” Clyde pouted, Kenny waving to them from the stage.

            “Your girlfriend won best lap dance, so I wouldn’t be complaining too much.” Token murmured to him, Bebe tying her hair up on stage. The winner of each game got to play the married couple at the beginning of the movie. Tweek giggled a bit at them, looking at Clyde.

            “You’ve seriously never seen or heard of this?”

            “No! How have you?!”

            “Craig showed me the movie earlier this month.”

            “I don’t know it either!” Eric said from in front of them, twisting around to look at them. Tweek smirked.

            “You guys are in for a fun night.” He giggled, looking forward as the lights in the auditorium dimmed. From back stage, Craig felt his heart swell as he heard the music truly for the first time. It was _exhilarating_. It was incredible, and the best birthday wish that Craig could’ve asked for. He caught a glimpse of Kenny and Bebe on the stage, grinning slowly as he knew that meant they won the games. _Of course they did_. As the show went on and it got closer to him coming on, he felt his heart start to pound, but in a good way. Craig no longer felt nervous, but excited to perform tonight. He walked to the makeshift elevator they made and climbed in, stage crew hoisting him up. _Knock ‘em dead_ , _Tucker_.

* * *

 

Tweek knew he would see Craig soon. He knew he showed up not long after that song about time people really like. Once that song came, his heart started to race. He was excited to see Craig but he was so excited to see him perform. Suddenly, Tweek knew he was about to see Craig. He could see the elevator lowering, Laura’s hand clamping down onto Tweek’s. He quickly glanced at her and she was grinning from ear to ear. Wendy, Stan, Kyle, and Heidi were practically bouncing in their seats. Clyde blinked, leaning over to Token.

            “Wait is that-” Tweek never heard Clyde gasp so hard when Craig turned around, Tweek swearing his own heart stopped in his chest. Although he was covered by a black cape, Craig’s hair was just as wild and curly as Tweek’s. Dark red lipstick similar to the one used to mark their foreheads was on his lips, dark eye shadow framing those blue eyes of his. His eyebrows were obviously drawn on, but they really flattered his eye shape and made them stand out even more. Tweek barely realized he was singing, his head spinning as Craig tossed the black cape aside, jumping as Clyde and Eric (and a lot of the audience) screamed as Craig revealed his outfit. Tweek was going to pass out (and next to the woman who gave birth to the guy he was fawing over). Craig wore fish nets, sparkly black heels that had a strap around his ankles, garters that hooked onto black briefs, a black corset that laced up the front, a pearl necklace, and fingerless gloves that matched the material of his corset. Craig Tucker was the epitome of sex appeal, and here he was sauntering around on stage for everyone to see, performing, and looking _happy_. Tweek noticed how happy and into it Craig was after the pounding in his ears settled down. He grinned slowly, making eye contact towards the end of _Sweet Transvestite_ with Craig. He gave him a thumbs up, Craig breaking to grin as he slammed the elevator door shut before he was taken off stage. Clyde was grinning from ear to ear.

“Are you _shitting me?!_ This-this is the best fucking day of my life!”

_________________________

As the rest of the show went on, Tweek couldn’t help the sense of pride that swelled through his entire body. Watching Craig get into the performance as he watched the actual movie go on behind them was surreal. The time and effort that Craig put into learning this part was evident, and no one in the audience except for the immediate people around him really knew the hardships Craig had to go through to learn this part. It was incredible watching Craig and the other actors perform the rest of the show, sometimes going into the audience (he really enjoyed watching Craig being forced to chase the guy who played Eddie around the auditorium, Craig stopping at their seat to adjust his shoes. He murmured a quick “I fucking hate these god damn shoes.” before continuing on). The show was coming to an end, Tweek watching the emotion in Craig’s face as he sang his last song. He wasn’t sure if it was Craig or Frank-N-Furter at this point. Part of him thinks the emotion in Craig’s voice came from the _joy_ and _pride_ he had to be feeling at this point for putting on the performance of his life, and Tweek felt that emotion, too. Swallowing hard as he listened to the lyrics of the song, Tweek closed his eyes. It reminded him of the day he had to say goodbye to Craig for the first time.

_“‘Cause I’ve seen blue skies, through the tears_

_In my eyes_

_And I realize, I’m going home_.”

Tweek opened his eyes, a few tears falling down his face as he watched the love of his life make eye contact with him. As he sang, Tweek realized that _Craig was his home_. He smiled slowly at him, wiping the tears off his cheeks as he looked at him, his husband giving him a small smirk when he finished singing. As Frank-N-Furter turned to make a final last ditch effort to escape his death, Tweek leaned his head back and smiled, his heart swelling as he thought about his realization some more. No matter where he was, on land or in the sea, Tweek had a home. His home on land just happened to be a person. He lifted his head back up as the audience began to clap, the cast coming out one by one for the curtain call. The last one to walk out was Craig, and Tweek could tell he was immediately overwhelmed by the standing ovation. He’s probably received one after each performace, but never heard it until now. Tweek saw his throat bob as he swallowed hard on stage, a grin crawling across his face as he bowed. Those blue eyes met Tweek’s as he stood upright again, Tweek grinning back at him. He held up a simple sign, one he only needed one hand and three fingers for: _I love you_.

* * *

 

Craig sat in his dressing room, just having gotten back from the stage. He needed some time to just breathe. The entire performance was overwhelming, but in a good way. It was an entirely different experience performing with his hearing tonight, but it was also exciting like he knew it would be. After about five minutes of listening to a random playlist of fifties through eighties music he found, he heard footsteps, smirking slightly as a knock shortly followed. Standing slowly, he cracked the door, a familiar pair of green eyes meeting his. He tugged the rest of the door open, leaning his forearm against the door frame and holding the door open with his other hand. His legs were crossed slightly as he stood, the front of his heel on the ground. Craig knew he was taller than Tweek, but in heels he _towered_ over him. He smirked as he looked down at him.

            “Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes.” Tweek swallowed hard, his eyes running over Craig’s body.

            “I-I could say the same about you,” He breathed out, smiling softly. “You-you were _amazing_ out there, Craig.” Craig blushed a bit, smiling a bit.

            “Yeah?”

            “Of course,” Tweek reached out, running his hand lightly over the costume that sat so tight against his husband’s body. “ _You_ _looked_ _incredible.”_ He practically purred, tugging lightly on the strings of his corset. Craig smirked, standing upright.

            “I knew you’d like the outfits. I told you.”

            “I never doubted you.” He whispered, grinning up at him. Tweek would never admit it, but he really liked Craig towering over him like this. It made him seem so powerful. So _dominant_ over him. Craig chuckled, glancing behind Tweek to a clock on the wall.

            “I can give you ten minutes in here before I should really go out and see everyone.” He murmured, their lips brushing together lightly.

            “I only need five.”

            “Is that a challenge?”

            “Only you would make it a challenge, Tucker.” He laughed, shoving Craig into the dressing room as Tony Bennett’s _Rags to Riches_ came on the playlist, the door slamming shut behind Tweek as Craig pushed it shut. In the same movement, he already had Tweek pinned against the door as they kissed. He kicked his heels off so he didn’t have to bend over as much, Tweek hitching his legs around Craig’s waist as he kissed him, fingers going into his curls. It was odd, but also incredibly pleasant. They didn’t have time to talk, but they knew what each other wanted and needed. Tweek quickly undid his own pants while Craig decided to just rip the fishnets he was wearing, Tweek pouting.

            “It’s fine I have like thirteen fucking pairs.” He growled, kissing him once they were both somewhat naked, Craig still having the corset on and Tweek’s shirt falling off his shoulders as Craig pushed himself into Tweek. He knew it was risky, but by Tweek’s reaction, it was worth it. The way Tweek’s legs kicked out on either side of him as his head rolled back against the door, mouth hung open as he moaned was a solid indication that he was more than okay. Craig waisted no time in fucking him against the door, one arm wrapped tightly around his waist while his right hand was planted firmly against the door by Tweek’s head.

            “F-Fuck!” Tweek whined, Craig slamming the hand resting on the door over Tweek’s mouth.

            “Christ, I forgot, you’re _fucking loud_.” He chuckled, grunting softly against Tweek’s neck as he continued the thrust quickly into his husband. Tweek’s eyes widened as Craig found his prostate, biting down onto Craig’s hand as he whined. Craig grunted at the pain, but it honestly turned him on a bit. He focused on that spot, trying to get Tweek to cum before he did. He took his hand out of Tweek’s mouth and wrapped it around his dick, stroking him in time with his thrusts. Tweek balled the sleeve of his shirt up, biting down into it as he felt his orgasm approaching.

            “S-Shit! Craig!” He yelled into the shirt, cuming onto his chest and stomach. Craig grunted, cuming inside of Tweek after a few more thrusts. Slowly pulling out, Craig set Tweek down in his chair, grabbing some napkins he had from his dinner and handing them to Tweek. The blonde hummed and watched as Craig started to change into his normal clothing, taking the time to just breathe after his intense orgasm. “You get to keep the corset?”

            “I get to keep a lot of the costumes. They were all made just for me, so they wouldn’t get much use out of them in another show.” Tweek hummed.

            “That’ll be fun in the future.” Craig let out a soft laugh, grabbing some makeup removing wipes and started the process of wiping the ten pounds of makeup off his face (for the last time).

            “How’d everyone else enjoy the show?”

            “I think Clyde went through the most intense emotional roller coaster I’ve ever seen.” Craig snorted.

            “That sounds like Clyde.”

            “But everyone else seems to have really enjoyed it. It was a great show Craig,” Tweek stood up and started getting dressed, wrapping his arms around Craig from behind once he finished. He kissed his cheek as Craig finished wiping off his face. “You were incredible. You really were.” Craig blushed, smiling.

            “You said that already.” He murmured, glancing at him in the mirror.

            “And I’ll always say it.” Craig closed his eyes, leaning into his husband’s chest.

            “I heard the audience tonight.” He whispered after a moment, Tweek smiling softly. He played with Craig’s curls, running his fingers gently through them.

            “Yeah? How was that for you?” Craig took a moment to think, his mind reeling as he thought back to just fifteen minutes ago to curtain call. The second he walked on stage Craig was taken aback by the sheer power an audience could have with clapping and cheering. It was unreal. It was literally something Craig Tucker had never heard before. He grinned slowly, opening his eyes as looked at his husband in the mirror.

            “It was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before. It’s probably something I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY I'M ALIVE!!!...sort of!  
> I know I've been absent for almost three weeks, which is hella unlike me, but there's a reason! As some of you know, I rushed a sorority back in January and was recently initiated last Saturday! Leading up to that, there was a lot I had to do that took up a lot of time, so that took up two of the three weeks. Sadly, I got sick the day after initiation (very sick) and I wasn't getting any better, in fact I was getting worse. I found out that I currently have mono and I have no idea as to when I will be better. I have to literally put everything I love to do on hold so I can get better (well, except for classes, which kinda sucks, but whatever lmao). I will try and write, however, in this down time I will have because I will literally be unable to work and I had to quit the comedy sketch I was just cast in for a club I'm in so I can focus on recovering :( I hope that all makes sense as to why I've been so absent lately! I'm active on scoial media, though, so if you want to see what's going on, you can check out my tumblr at crowded-skies.tumblr.com and my twitter (username: @craigorytucker). I really hope you enjoyed this chapter! Sorry for any errors, but it's 3:30 am and I really should be asleep! Have a Happy Easter/Passover if you celebrate, and if not, have a great rest of your weekend, and, as always, any and all feedback is appreciated!  
> Songs:  
> I'm Going Home-Rocky Horror Picture Show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvKEwszUwWo  
> Rags to Riches-Tony Bennett: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y22tIJ6toPY


	23. Chapter 23

It wasn’t _ideal_ to face your friends and family after just having a quickie, but Craig would manage. He had some celebrating to do. Walking out to the lobby where everyone had most definitely been waiting, with his arm proudly around his husband, Craig couldn’t help the grin that found its way across his face as he made eye contact with his best friend.

            “ _FUCK_ there you are!” Clyde laughed, rushing over and tossing his arms around Craig, Craig letting out a laugh as he hugged his friend close. It had officially been almost three months since he’s last seen anyone from South Park, and honestly, it was refreshing to see them on his birthday.

            “I heard you had the time of your life tonight, Clyde Donovan.” He said, but Clyde pulled away and thought a moment.

            “ _I did! I thoroughly enjoyed the show, Craig_.” Craig blinked, letting out a breathless laugh as he watched him sign. Clyde hasn’t signed to him in so long that he’s forgotten that he knows some sign language now. How Craig could forget the fact his best friend did this for him, he wasn’t sure, but he felt bad for forgetting.

            “ _I’m glad you enjoyed, buddy, and I’m glad you were able to come on my birthday_.” Craig signed back, everyone else making their way over. He caught the happy glint in his mother’s eye as she saw the two signing, Laura smiling at the simple yet so meaningful sight. They all took turns giving Craig a hug, but the one that really meant the most was the one from Kyle. They didn’t talk much before they left for college, so seeing him here really meant the world to Craig.

            “You looked great up there.” Kyle murmured as they hugged, Craig chuckling softly.

            “I have a new found appreciation for curly hair,” Craig murmured back, causing the red head to laugh. As they pulled away, Craig gave his shoulders a squeeze. “You look good, Kyle.” Kyle smirked a bit, looking down at his feet before looking back up.

            “You too, Tucker.”

            “Taking care of Heidi, yeah?”

            “Yeah,” He glanced over his shoulder to see his girlfriend chatting with Wendy, Tricia, and Laura, a grin on her face as they spoke. “I’d do anything for her at this point.”

* * *

When they all got home to Jack’s, there was a huge bonfire roaring on the beach behind the house. Craig blinked as he got out of his car, a grin crawling across his face as his dad wrapped an arm around his shoulder.

            “You didn’t think just because we were here in LA that we wouldn’t have our annual birthday bonfire, right?” Every year, Craig loved to finish out his birthday with a bonfire with his friends and family. It started when he was younger, Tricia and him coming home and sorting their Halloween candy around the fire while they made s’mores instead of having birthday cake. They all made their way towards the fire, Jack sitting there with his usual Moscow Mule in hand.

            “It’s about time ya’ll arrived!” He laughed, standing up from his chair to greet his brother and nephew. Thomas laughed, keeping his arm around his brother.

            “We had some catching up to do.” He murmured, glancing back at all the college kids making their way over towards the fire. It was odd as a parent to see these kids so grown up after watching them _grow up_. As odd as it was for Thomas Tucker, it was also satisfying. He followed his brother back inside to get a drink, Craig coming back from the garage with Tricia, both carrying beach blankets. Laura had gone inside and returned with s’more supplies as Tricia and Craig laid out some blankets and set up chairs for everyone, Tweek rushing over to her.

            “I can take these, Mrs. Tucker.” He offered, smiling a bit at her. She hummed, smiling back.

            “That would be perfect, thank you, sweetie,” She kissed his cheek. “Distract Craig for a bit, will you? I gotta finish getting his gift together.” Tweek nodded.

            “That shouldn’t be hard.” Laura let out a laugh and made her way back to the house, Tweek sitting down next to Craig and Tricia with the tray of s’mores supplies in his lap. Tricia grinned, everyone reaching down into Tweek’s lap to grab one of the sticks off the tray. They passed the bag of marshmallow’s around the circle, and once back to Tweek, he blushed and looked at Craig.

            “Need some help?” Craig asked, noticing the flustered look on Tweek’s face. His husband looked at him, Craig unable to control the butterflies in his stomach.

            “Um…yes-yes please.” He breathed out, smiling sheepishly at him. Craig reached over and grabbed the last remaining stick and a marshmallow, holding it up.

            “You take a marshmallow,” He skewered it on the stick. “And stick it on like this. Then you put it in the fire until it’s the optimum golden brown,” He stuck the marshmallow close to the fire, but not in it. “Don’t do what fucking Clyde and Kenny do. They burn the shit out of their marshmallow’s until it’s just burnt sugar.” Tweek glanced over at Kenny and Clyde, Clyde biting into a s’more that looked black from where even Tweek was sitting. Kenny was just eating a marshmallow, but the outside was also toasted black. Tweek snorted.

            “They don’t look very appetizing.” He whispered to Craig, who let out a laugh,

            “They aren’t. It’s okay if it gets a little burnt, but they burn the ever living shit out of their marshmallows, and it just isn’t good like that,” Craig pulled the marshmallow back to investigate it. With a nod of his head, he pointed to the tray. “Hand me a cracker and the chocolate, please?” Tweek smirked.

            “Love these manners.” He teased, handing Craig one graham cracker and the chocolate bar. Craig glared at him.

            “Hey, I’m making you man kind’s greatest discovery, so ease up on this bullshit teasing,” Tweek bit his lip to stop from grinning. Craig broke the graham cracker in half, breaking off three pieces of chocolate and placing it on the graham cracker. “So now you have your graham crackers and chocolate ready, so you put your marshmallow on top of the chocolate, like this,” He tucked the stick under his arm to steady it, then sandwiched the marshmallow with the other half of the cracker and tugged the stick out. “And now, my dear, you have your very first s’more.” He murmured, grinning at Tweek as he passed over the delicacy. Tweek grinned slowly, happily taking the sandwich. He took a bite, grimacing as strings of the marshmallow refused to let go. Craig snickered, using his fingers to break them off. Tweek laughed around his mouthful of s’more, Craig using the marshmallow stuck on his finger to feed the trail to Tweek. Once Tweek collected all of the sugary trail, he sucked the last little bit off of Craig’s finger, watching the way his husband inhaled sharply as he did so. Tweek smiled around his finger, pulling his lips away with a pop as he swallowed.

            “I love them.” He murmured, taking another bite of his s’more. Craig coughed to clear his mind, nodding as he turned to make his own s’more. Tweek glanced at Wendy across the fire, a grin on her face as he grinned at her. She stood and Tweek did too, both meeting each other half way. They took a moment and just looked at each other, both letting out a giggle before hugging each other tightly. Tweek hasn’t seen Wendy in over a year and a half at this point, and boy, did he _miss her_.

            “Hey stranger.” She giggled, hugging him close. They didn’t get a chance to really catch up before the show, so now was the perfect time.

            “God, I missed you so much.” He whispered to her, pulling away but keeping his hands on her shoulders.

            “How’s the sea treating you?”

            “Like it usually does. I heard you’re going to Brown?” Wendy blushed but smiled.

            “Craig caught you up?”

            “He caught me up in literally under a minute on all of you.” He laughed, Wendy unable to stop herself. She grabbed his face in her hands, running her thumb over the piercing in the middle of his bottom lip.

            “This one’s new.”

            “Married…it means I’m married.” He breathed out, blushing a bit. Wendy hummed, running her fingers over the tips of his ears gently. Tweek shivered, but smiled nonetheless.

            “I’m so happy for you…look how good you look! I remember when I first met you…you were so scared…” Tweek shrugged a bit, smiling sadly.

            “I was scared…I had no idea if I’d ever see my parents again…I had so many things I wanted to do…people I wanted to see…I…you saved me, Wendy.”

            “ _Craig_ saved you. I helped.” Tweek blushed, looking down at the sand on his feet. Shifting back and forth on his feet, he eventually hummed.

            “He…did save me…huh?” He breathed out, looking back up at her. Wendy chuckled.

            “You saved him, too.” She gave his shoulders a squeeze before going back to sit between Stan’s legs, Tweek glancing over his shoulder at Craig. He was idly talking with Tricia as they ate their s’mores, Tweek’s heart fluttering as he realized Tricia was wearing Craig’s signature chullo. He smiled at the sight, walking back over and sitting between Craig’s legs, leaning against his chest. Tricia smiled at him.

            “When do you go home, Tweek?” She asked, finishing off her s’more. The blonde blushed, not having really thought of when he’d go home next.

            “I’m…not sure. I’ll definitely stay the weekend.” He said, Tricia nodding. After glancing at her phone, she tugged the hat off her head, pulling it over Tweek’s blonde curls.

            “You look cold. I don’t need this anymore.” She stood up, skipping off towards the house after pocketing her phone. Craig chuckled as he watched Tweek tug on the strings of his chullo, wrapping his arms tightly around him.

            “You okay?” He murmured, long legs making their way around Tweek as well. The blonde smiled into Craig’s neck, the warmth from the fire and the man behind him more than enough.

            “I’m perfect.” He whispered, leaning up and pressing a quick kiss to Craig’s lips. As they pulled away, Laura, Jack, Thomas, and Tricia all came walking out, grins on their faces.

            “Uh oh. You all look suspicious.” Craig chuckled, Tweek moving out of his lap. Laura let out a soft laugh.

            “We all got you a gift this year instead of one collaborative one like we normally do.” Craig blinked.

            “I’m not dying, mom.” He laughed, blushing a bit.

            “I know, smart ass! It’s just…you’re twenty and this past year was really hard for you…so we wanted to do something a little special this year.” She smiled, Tricia rushing over to hand Craig her gift.

            “Happy birthday, Craig.” She whispered, blushing a bit. It felt odd to be opening his gifts in front of all his friends like this, but Craig doesn’t care. Tricia looks so excited to give him this gift, so he’s going to open the damn gift. Ripping the paper away gently, Craig blinked as he saw a Rush vinyl he actually didn’t have. He grinned up at her, tugging her into a hug.

            “How did you know I didn’t have this one?!”

            “I called Uncle Jack and he searched your collection. He told me you didn’t have _Bastille Day_ , which surprises me, but now you got it!” Tricia looked so proud, and Craig felt proud of his sister for her detective work. Kissing the top of her head, Jack stepped forward, passing over his gift.

            “I know you like retro shit.” Craig snorted, unwrapping the box and tugging it open. Inside was an old polaroid, Craig grinning as he looked up at his uncle.

            “I’ve been looking at one of these online!”

            “I went through your history a little bit.” Craig snorted.

            “As long as that’s all you saw.” He teased, Jack letting out a laugh. Laura passed over her gift next, blushing.

            “Happy birthday, my sweet boy.” She whispered, smiling as she sat next to Tweek on the blanket. Tricia sat next to her as Craig opened the gift, blushing as he saw it. It was a photo album, but it was already filled to the brim. He started flipping through it, realizing it starts not long after Tweek started staying with them. Craig felt his chest tighten as he flipped through the images, some of them from their road trip back to California that Wendy or Clyde or Kyle had taken (they must’ve sent them to her). The final image was from a few short hours ago, the image of Tweek and Tricia standing outside in the lobby of the performance hall next to Craig’s headshot. Craig let out a soft laugh, running his fingers over the image. They were both grinning in the image, both also pointing at Craig’s stupid headshot (he hated it), but the image made it all worth it. He wrapped his arms around his mom after kissing her cheek, smiling.

            “Thanks mom.” He whispered, chuckling softly as he tucked the photo album back into the box for safe keeping. Thomas smirked at Craig.

            “Guess it’s my turn?”

            “You’d be correct.” Craig chuckled, blinking as his dad tugged a giant case around from behind his back.

            “I heard from your uncle that you’ve been into acoustic guitar lately.” Craig’s mouth fell open slightly as his dad slid the case into his lap.

            “I…I-I tried learning it but-” Jack snorted.

            “Tried? Kiddo, you picked it up like it was nothing!” He laughed. Craig blushed, flicking the locks on the case off, opening it slowly. He let out a shaky breath, grinning slowly as he came face to face with his very own acoustic guitar. It was perfect. Craig had wanted to try and challenge himself over the past few months with a new instrument, so he borrowed his uncle’s acoustic guitar from time to time and managed to learn a few songs. Craig took it out slowly, a grin on his face as he looked up, Clyde grinning.

            “Whoa, dude…” Craig let out a soft laugh, glancing between Token, Jimmy, and Clyde.

            “You know the song already, boys.” He said, playing the opening chords to _Man on the Moon_ by R.E.M. Kenny, Stan, and Kyle all grinned as well, moving over to sit with Token, Clyde, and Jimmy. They all started singing.

            “ _Mott the Hoople and the Game of Life, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah_

_Andy Kaufman in the wrestling match, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah”_

Tweek grinned as they continued on, Craig singing along as well. Everyone eventually joined in, Tweek glancing at Craig as everyone clearly pulled a fast one and changed the lyrics on Craig.

            “ _Now, Craig did you hear about this one?_

_Tell me, are you locked in the punch?_

_Craig are you goofing on Elvis, hey, baby?_

_Are we losing touch?_

_If you believed they put a man on the moon, man on the moon_

_If you believe there’s nothing up his sleeve, then nothing is cool.”_

Tweek watched as Craig continued to play despite the emotion in his eyes, Tweek kissing the top of his head as he walked over to join his friends and family as they got closer to the end of the song. Craig blinked as he realized that everyone was standing across from him as he finished playing, blushing slightly.

            “Guys?” Clyde looked at everyone, smiling at them before smiling at Craig.

            “We…have one more gift for you.” Craig blinked, putting the guitar back in its case before turning his full attention to the group of people grinning at him. It was odd, but…soothing in a strange way. Clyde counted to three before Craig felt like he couldn’t move. All at once, he watched the people most important to him slowly but surely sign out the god damn _Happy Birthday_ song to him. It wasn’t all perfect (besides his family and Tweek), but it was perfect to Craig, and he knew what they meant, and they knew what this meant to Craig. Craig’s chest started rising and falling quickly as he tried to control his emotions, but he couldn’t. The sob escaped his lips before he realized it crept out of his chest, his hand flying to his mouth as he watched them sign his name and finish out the song. He found Tweek’s eyes, who were just as tear filled as Craig’s. Craig couldn’t move, his shoulders shaking as he sobbed into his hand. He wasn’t sad, no! These were all happy tears. People he cared for more than anything in the world took the time to learn how to sign out _happy birthday_ just for him, and that made Craig Tucker feel like a million bucks. No, it made Craig Tucker feel _priceless_. Tweek grinned slowly at him as Tricia rushed over, tossing her arms tightly around her older brother. Craig grinned into her hair, hugging her close as everyone else came over and forced themselves into a group hug. Craig couldn’t quite get his thoughts together, but he knew two simple words would suffice.

            “Thank you.”

* * *

Tweek always forgets how comfortable Craig’s bed is every time he comes back to it. It’s like he gets to lie in it for the first time each and every time he visits. Tweek was currently flipping through a magazine that Craig had on his bed that had to do about video games while Craig showered. He only glanced away from the magazine when he heard the water turn off in the shower, turning his attention back to the magazine as the door opened. Craig noticed what he was reading and chuckled.

            “Didn’t realize you were interested in the up and coming video games.” He teased, rummaging through his drawers for a pair of boxers. Tweek hummed, tossing the magazine aside as he watched Craig for a change.

            “I’m not really, I’m more interested in you.” Craig snorted, dropping his towel as he tugged on a pair of boxers. He used the discarded towel to dry his hair a bit more before hanging the towel up and crawling into bed next to Tweek.

            “Read anything interesting?”

            “There’s a new Zelda? You like that don’t you?”

            “Oh my god you remembered.” Craig whispered, a grin on his face. Tweek let out a laugh.

            “Of course I remember! I’m your husband.” He laughed, Craig wrapping his arms tightly around Tweek. He buried his face into Tweek’s neck, humming softly.

            “Today was a good birthday.” He whispered after a few minutes, Tweek glancing at him.

            “What made it so good?” He rubbed his hands gently up and down Craig’s back, burying his face into his drying hair. Craig hummed at the motion.

            “The show was a great final show…I got some amazing and thoughtful gifts from my family…I got to see all my best friends…everyone…everyone _signed_ happy birthday to me…that…that was incredible…,” Craig hugged Tweek closer, placing a light kiss to his neck. “And you. You’re here. That makes this day an automatic ten out of five.” The blonde gasped.

            “ _Ten_ out of _five_?! You think highly of me.” Tweek teased, Craig pushing himself up onto his arm to look down at his husband.

            “I mean it, Tweek,” He murmured, watching his green eyes widen slightly. “Any day I get with you I treasure. I don’t know when you’re coming back next…so I want to make sure each and every minute I have with you counts.” Tweek looked Craig’s face up and down, seeing nothing but _home_ on his face.

            “What if…what if _we_ got a place together?” He whispered suddenly, knowing it would be a long shot.

            “I…is that what _you_ want?” Craig whispered back, pushing the curls on Tweek’s forehead off. The blonde blushed under his touch, chewing lightly on his piercing.

            “I’ve been thinking about it. It…you’re so close to the sea, so I could go back whenever I needed to, and my parents could visit.” Craig chewed on his bottom lip as well, running his fingertips gently over the tips of Tweek’s ears. The enjoyed the way his husband melted into the touch, a small smile tugging at his lips.

            “If that’s what you want, Tweek. You know I’d say yes to anything that involves me waking up next to you every day.” Tweek grinned slowly at that, his heart hammering in his chest. He wasn’t quite sure what to say, so he opted to kiss his husband until the sun came up. Craig grinned against his lips, fumbling with the lamp cord as he kissed Tweek. Finally grabbing it, he tugged it, plunging the room into darkness. Tweek felt comfortable with his decision to bring up potentially living together to Craig. It was odd for mermaids not to live with their spouse when married, even if they were on land. Who was he to break tradition? Besides, when he was with Craig, Tweek knew he would always be home.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo I managed to update! Today was the first time I have felt somewhat normal in about two weeks, so hooray for that! I also managed to properly eat and keep food down, so hooray for improvement! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Only two more left! I already have a few ideas for my next fic in mind, and I am SO HYPE to hear what ya'll have to think about them. I might need some feedback on these ideas, so check out my tumblr if you want to give me feedback! crowded-skies.tumblr.com! Also, the song used in this chapter is absolutely incredible and probably one of my favorite songs of all times and I changed the lyrics a bit because I imagine Craig's friends sing this song to him because he over plays it. Hope you enjoyed, and, as always, any and all feedback is appreciated! (sorry for any mistakes I just wanna go to bed and didn't finish proofreading!!)   
> Songs:   
> Man on the Moon: R.E.M- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hKSYgOGtos


	24. Chapter 24

            “Can you believe college flew by just like _that_?!” Greg laughed, the four boys walking down the beach together. It’s been three years already, and Craig and his college friends were just about done with their degrees. Sure, Craig might eventually have to go back and get his masters, but he wasn’t worried about that, at least not now. Not with the warm California air, cool sand, crashing waves, and orange glow of the setting sun calming him. The four had managed to stay close all through college, even with their crazy lives. Greg had worked multiple internships throughout college, Steven worked pretty much every day after classes, Andy had a family emergency junior year that kept him out of state for half a semester, and Craig tried to visit Tweek and his own family in Colorado whenever he could. Despite it all, they all remained close. Tweek and Craig decided they would wait to live together until Craig graduated, and that time has come, but they still had no idea as to where they wanted to live. No where they looked seemed feasible to them both, but Jack had come up with an idea that was appealing: build a house. Jack gave Craig the number of some carpenters he was good friends with that would more than likely offer a discount, and Craig was incredibly thankful for that. The construction process started at the beginning of their final semester in January. The house was located on the bay about fifteen minutes from Jack’s, not far from where the bay meets the ocean. Although it wasn’t ideal to buy water front property at twenty three, Craig’s family pitched in where they could, and he was incredibly thankful for that. Thankfully, Craig didn’t destroy his credit in college, and was able to get a decent sized loan for the purchasing of the land.

The land was the biggest purchase he’s ever made, but he knew it would be the best purchase. Tweek would visit every few weeks while they were working on the house. Although he never came on land, Craig could see him from where he would be helping with construction, and that was enough for Craig to know this was all worth it. The construction of the house was nearly done at this point, and Craig would be moving into it within the next two months or so. His house. _Their house_. He smiled at the thought, ignoring whatever Greg was going on and on about. It wasn’t until Andy nudged him that he snapped back into reality.

            “Did you hear us, dude?” Craig blinked, shaking his head. “Can we see your house?” He blushed a bit at the words ‘ _your house_ ’, but he was proud. It literally _was_ his house, having built it from the ground up with the help of his Uncle’s friends. He smirked a bit, nodding.

            “Yeah. We’re actually not too far from it.” He said, all of them turning to walk towards the homes. That is, until Steven grabbed Greg’s arm.

            “Dude! Is that a fucking _octopus_?!” Craig was stopped by Andy, turning with furrowed brows. He blinked, grinning slowly as he saw a familiar cephalopod scuttling towards him. Craig had never told his friends his connection to the sea, but he knew he’d have to eventually. Kneeling down, Craig held his hand out, Pluto quickly crawling up his arm and wrapping himself tightly around his neck. Craig rubbed his head, grinning widely. It’s been a while since he’s last seen Pluto. He’d visit every now and then, but it was very rare for him to come back to Jack’s humble abode.

            “Hey, buddy. It’s been awhile, huh?” He chuckled, Pluto running his tentacles over Craig’s face. Craig grinned as he looked at his friends, enjoying the surprised look on their face.

            “You…you’re friendly with…sea creatures?” Steven asked.

            “Dude, I know you’re a marine biologist, but I didn’t think you were _this_ close to marine life!” Greg snorted, and Craig smirked.

            “I’m, uh….a lot closer to marine life than you think.” They all blinked, furrowing their brows.

            “What…what the _fuck_ does that mean?” Andy chuckled, a confused smile on his face. Craig smirked.

            “Let’s head towards my house…part of me thinks you’ll find out there.”

* * *

The walk to Craig’s almost completed house was brief. They were only about five minutes away from their walk, and Pluto seemed excited to see the home. Craig knew Tweek told him about it, and that’s probably why he was visiting.

            “What brings you, Pluto? Did he tell you about the new house?” He glanced to the octopus sitting on his head, the gentle pat to his cheek a _yes_ from the octopus. Craig let out a soft laugh, rolling his eyes. “Are you only going to visit me when you want to be spoiled? Cause you know I will spoil you, you brat,” He yelled out in surprise when Pluto smacked him harder than anticipated, Craig grabbing his tentacle. “Hey, Pluto, behave!”

            “ _Pluto_?!” The three boys behind him said, Craig able to hear it as they walked closer to the house. _Tweek’s here_. He felt his chest swell as they walked closer,

            “Yeah. Pluto. What, you don’t like Tweek’s name for him?”

            “Tweek knows about this octopus?!” Greg asked, Pluto crossing his arms as if he was hurt.

            “Greg, you hurt his feelings!” Steven whispered to him, Greg shaking his head and glaring at Steven.

            “It’s a fucking octopus, dude!” He whispered back, Pluto reaching out and smacking Greg upside the head. Andy let out a laugh, Craig as well, but Craig rubbed Pluto’s head.

            “Easy, bud, he’s cool. He doesn’t mean it.”

            “Okay, I feel like I’ve taken fucking _crazy pills_! Craig, dude, you gotta start explaining!” Greg pleaded as they walked around back to the dock, Craig humming softly. As they neared the end of the dock, Craig turned to his friends, a slight pink tint on his cheeks. It wasn’t easy coming out to your friends as a mermaid, after all.

            “Okay…I feel like it’s easier to… _show you_ guys rather than tell you.” He said, taking his hearing aids out and passing them to Andy (he was the most reliable). Pluto hopped down off his head to sit on the edge of the docks.

            “Dude, how’re you going to hear without them?” Andy asked, pocketing them regardless. Craig hummed.

            “I normally don’t hear even with them, that’s the thing. But…when Tweek’s around, I can hear no matter what.”

            “What…where’s Tweek? And why can you _hear_ when he’s around?!” Steven asked, unaware of the blonde under the docks. Tweek was grinning from ear to ear under the docks, only his eyes and tips of his ears poking out of the water. Tweek knew Craig would have to eventually tell the guys what was going on. Besides, if everyone back in South Park knew of Tweek, why shouldn’t three more important people to Craig? Craig let out a soft laugh, kicking his sneakers off. He never used his powers. Craig didn’t really like to, so each time he does use them, it still feels special.

            “You’ll see him in a few.” Craig said, grinning as he stepped over the edge of the dock. The guys blinked, but there was _no splash_. Greg blinked, looking at Steven and Andy.

            “What the fuck is happening?” He whispered, all three boys slowly walking forward to the edge of the dock. They all yelled out in surprise when they saw Craig _standing_ on the water’s surface, hands in his pockets as he looked up at them. Pluto crawled over the edge of the docks, Craig catching him and placing him in the water. He watched him swim over to a familiar face under the docks, Craig smiling softly at him.

            “Oh- _Jesus Christ_ -Craig how-what-I’m gonna have a fucking heart attack.” Steven slurred out, burying his face in his hands. How was this happening?! How was their friend _standing_ on water?! Craig let out a soft laugh.

            “Steven, dude, I’m fine. See?” He took a few tentative steps backwards on the surface of the water, all three boys watching as small ripples crossed the surface of the water with each step, much like the ripples water skimmers make. Andy gripped the wooden pylon that stood at the end of the dock, eyes closed as he tried to process everything.

            “The water has to be shallow, right? It’s shallow!” Greg rushed off the dock, coming back with a handful of light colored pebbles. He let the pebbles fall from his hand, all three bending over the edge of the dock to see them fall, but they never saw them hit the bottom.

            “N-no…definitely not shallow.” Greg said, running a hand through his hair.

            “The water is about eight feet here.” Craig said, kicking his foot out a bit, casting his eyes down at his feet. He grinned slowly as Tweek’s face appeared below the surface, Greg blinking.

            “U-Um…is…Craig, is that _a_ _face_ in the fucking water?” He asked, leaning over the edge of the dock more. All three of them did, trying to get closer to the water. Craig smiled, taking a few more steps backwards from the dock. Tweek got the idea, arching his back to swim deeper down. The motion made his tail closer to the surface, all three yelling in shock at the massive tail they just saw.

            “ _JESUS CHRIST_ what the fuck is in the water?!” Steven yelled, grabbing onto Greg. Andy, however, didn’t jump back with the other two. He kept blinking, staring at the water.

            “I swear to God…I just saw a human…or at least…something that _looks_ human.” Craig smirked a bit, taking a few more steps back before letting himself fall into the water. The three boys on the dock blinked, scrambling back to the edge.

            “Craig?! _Shit_! He’s in the water with whatever the fuck that tail was!” Greg yelled, hands tangled into his hair.

            “He’s being a little shit! He’s doing _something_! I don’t think he’s in danger.” Andy said, furrowing his brows as he looked at the water some more. It had been nearly five minutes, but still no Craig.

            “Dude, I think something is wrong.” Steven said, all three of them sitting on the edge of the dock now, feet dangling over the water. Andy sighed, slight panic settling in his chest.

            “Craig?!” He called out, jumping as he felt a hand wrap around his ankle. “ _FUCK!”_ He screamed, pulling his legs up to his chest. Two sets of laughter came from under the dock, the three boys leaning over the dock edge to see Tweek and Craig under the dock. They blinked, the two boys swimming out from under the dock slowly enough that they could very clearly see the obvious _tails_ behind them both. Craig got the reaction he as hoping for: silence. Tweek grinned slowly, wrapping his arms around Craig’s neck and leaning his cheek against his shoulder. Their tails twisted together playfully under the water, Pluto crawling up from under the water to rest on top of Craig’s head. Craig took the moment of silence to explain quickly.

            “I met Tweek when I was ten years old in this ocean. I was hit by the mast of my uncle’s sailboat and was knocked into the water. I saw stars, and I saw them everywhere. I saw the stars in his tail as he pushed me up to safety, and I thought he had been a dream ever since. We stumbled across each other in an unfortunate circumstance. He had been captured and put on display in my hometown in the aquarium, and he was the only person in town besides my family who used sign language. To make a long story short, I broke him out, he gave up his tail, we got hitched in Las Vegas, and I got a tail because we fucked in the waters in which we met.” Tweek smacked his chest.

            “Don’t say it like that, it’s so crude when you say _fucked_!” He snorted, Craig smiling at him.

            “Sorry. We _consummated_ in the ocean, so he got his tail back and I got a tail in return,” The three boys on the dock stared at the two of them, Tweek letting his olive green tail float up towards the surface so they could see better. Greg blinked, his eyes roaming down over the tail. Craig snapped his fingers. “Earth to Greg.” He chuckled, Greg shaking his head.

            “Sorry, it’s just…I swear I…thought mermaids didn’t exist…I kept telling my parents I swore I saw one two years ago. She…she had a black tail! Red hair! I…I saw her while I was doing homework on the beach one evening and I just…my parents convinced me it was from too much sun but… _mermaids exist!_ ” Tweek grinned slowly, letting out a laugh.

            “Red,” Greg snapped his head towards him. “You saw my friend Red. She’s the only one I know that has a black tail.” Greg blushed a dark red, clearing his throat.

            “Could, I um, meet her…maybe?” Tweek smiled a bit at that, the sincerity in Greg’s voice surprising to both Tweek and Craig.

            “That could be arranged.”

            “So…how…how many are there…?” Steven asked, arms dangling over the edge of the dock. Tweek thought.

            “Well…there’s no definitive number of mermaids, as you can probably tell. Humans have been adding to our population for centuries now, ever since we discovered the loophole in giving up your tail.” He explained, Steven nodding.

            “So…that day when we met you three years ago…when Greg took your hat and you freaked…it was because you didn’t want your ears exposed…” Andy slowly connected the dots, Craig clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth.

            “Bingo.”

            “And…if Craig can walk on water…that means you must have other powers…so my water bottle spilling that day…” Greg said, his mind trying to connect everything as well. Tweek grinned, raising his arm slowly. As he did, a trail of water followed.

            “You got it, buddy!” He giggled, running his tongue over his lip piercing.

            “And the piercings…do they have something to do with mermaids?” Steven asked, eyebrows furrowed. Tweek nodded.

            “Each piercing signifies something,” He put his hands behind his pointed ears, both having two gold hoops in each now (Tweek got his fourth when he turned twenty). “Each gold hoop signifies five years of a mermaid’s life,” He pointed to his septum piercing. “The septum piercing means I have anxiety, and the gold means I have panic attacks,” He pointed to his labret piercing. “And this means I’m married.” He grinned at Craig, his husband pressing a light kiss to his cheek. Steven grinned slowly.

            “That’s sick as shit.” He murmured, Andy chuckling.

            “So, that’s why you’re living on the water…so he can come whenever to the house.” Craig shot him a quick finger gun.

            “Using that degree, I see.” He laughed, floating onto his back. Greg grinned slowly, running his eyes over Craig’s blue tail. After a moment, he shook his head in disbelief, resting his chin on the crook of his elbow.

            “This is the sickest surprise ever.”

* * *

 

After explaining to the three guys that they absolutely _cannot_ tell anyone, Craig and Tweek dried off, all of them going into their home for a little while. There wasn’t a lot of furniture inside yet, but they just all hung out until around ten at night. After the guys left, Craig shut the door, leaning against it with a sigh. Closing his eyes, Craig leaned his head back against the wood door, smiling softly to himself. He always felt bad about not telling them, but he figured they were graduating soon, so he better do it soon.

            “Did you really mean that?” Craig snapped out of his daze as he looked down, Tweek walking towards him slowly with their comforter wrapped tightly around him. The electricity wasn’t working yet in the house (they were finishing that this weekend), so it was pretty dark. They had a few candles lit, but the moon was their main source of light this evening. Craig hummed, taking a few steps towards Tweek.

            “Mean what?” He wrapped his arms around his husband, looking around at their home. It was slowly coming together, and it felt more and more like home now that Tweek was here.

            “Did you really see the stars in my tail?” He whispered into Craig’s chest, Craig chuckling softly. The sound vibrated through Tweek, his ear pressed to his chest now. He grinned at the sound, his eyes closing as Craig picked him up. After quickly blowing the candles out, Craig carried him upstairs to their bedroom. _Their bedroom_. They hadn’t slept in it together yet. Craig had spent a few nights in the home after a few particularly long days of working on the house, but something about tonight felt right. It felt right to share a bed with _his_ husband in _their_ house for the first time. Craig tossed Tweek onto the bed, the blonde letting out a laugh. “Wow, how fucking graceful.” He laughed, Craig snorting as he spread the previously stolen comforter over their bed, crawling in next to Tweek after tugging his sweatpants off. Tangling their legs together, Craig contemplated Tweek’s question. It was a simple question, but he never really thought much about it. He had just always thought Tweek knew he saw stars in his tail, but he must’ve never explained his thoughts to him. Smiling into his shoulder, Craig placed a light kiss there before tucking his chin over Tweek’s shoulder.

            “I did. However, I see stars on you all the time. With or without your tail, I see the stars in you. I see them in your eyes when you smile, particularly after you laugh really hard. I see the constellations on your skin with each and every freckle that has graced me with their presence. I see shooting stars in your hair, dancing wildly in every direction. I see comets when we make love, because the noises you make will forever resonate within me, just like you’ll always remember a comet when you see one. I see the sun, which is the brightest star, in your heart. You radiate warmth and happiness and that’s something everyone can love about you, something everyone can _notice_ about you…I don’t mean to get fucking emotional at almost midnight, but I saw the stars in your tail on that first day when we were ten, but I continued to discover the galaxy as I fell in love with you.” Tweek didn’t realize he had been gripping at Craig’s back so hard until he felt his husband wince slightly, Tweek quickly releasing his nails from his skin.

            “S-Sorry,” He breathed out, burying his face into the crook of Craig’s neck. Swallowing the lump of emotions in his throat, Tweek smiled against Craig’s skin, pressing their chests together as he tried to collect his thoughts. “I…I always thought you were just flattering me when you spoke highly of me…” He whispered, eyes fluttering shut. Craig hummed, holding Tweek closer. Looking out the window, Craig could see the moon’s light over the crashing waves of the ocean in the distance. He let his eyes close with the next crashing wave, face buried in Tweek’s shoulder.

            “You think I’m flattering you, but really I’m telling you everything I’ve wanted to tell you in those eight years I thought you were a dream.”  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit, guys. Sorry for the time skip, but there's only one more fucking chapter left! I don't mean to get sappy in this one already, but I'm hoping to finish this story by the end of the weekend! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and, as always, any and all feedback is appreciated!


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Be sure to follow my social media accounts and to check out the Spotify playlist I made including all the songs mentioned in this fic! 
> 
> Tumblr:  
> crowded-skies.tumblr.com
> 
> Twitter:  
> https://twitter.com/craigorytucker
> 
> Spotify Playlist:  
> https://open.spotify.com/user/3s69p2v4dhp8wrha527fv9enm/playlist/42OaZiMQoHPWPBydpHxUf9?si=I_KeqcYKR0i4btR9GPUuDQ

            “ _And here’s to you, Mrs. Robinson_

_Jesus loves you more than you will know_

_Wo wo wo_

_God bless you, please, Mrs. Robinson_

_Heaven holds a place for those who pray_

_Hey hey hey, hey hey hey”_

It was a sound Tweek had grown accustom to while adjusting to life on land. Craig had grown quite talented at his guitar, often waking up and sitting on the docks and playing while he enjoys his morning coffee. Tweek eventually joins him, but not before lying in bed for an hour while he listens to his husband. Tweek grinned into his pillow, humming as he listened to Craig play this morning. It had been three months since they told Greg, Steven, and Andy, and that means it has been roughly three months since Craig graduated college. They officially moved into the house about a month and a half ago, and Tweek couldn’t be happier. His parents have yet to visit, but that’s because Richard started up his own coffee bean dispensary, and business was going well. Sitting up and stretching his stiff limbs above his head, Tweek could just make out Craig on the docks. Kicking his legs over the side of the bed, Tweek bent down and grabbed one of Craig’s sweatshirts off the floor, tugging it over his head before walking out onto their little balcony. The balcony had been Tweek’s only request, and Craig was happy to oblige. It was a decent size balcony to have off their bedroom, a small table with two chairs on it and one love seat for when they had company over on it. Tweek liked to have breakfast on the balcony, often waving to small children on boats that were coming in and out of the bay with their families. They loved waving back, happy that someone saw them. There weren’t many homes on the block, but that was okay with Tweek and Craig, because the less people on the block, the less people potentially spotting Tweek coming to the house from the ocean.

Leaning against the railing, Tweek smiled as he saw Craig sitting on the dock playing his guitar and singing still, Pluto sitting in the other chair on the dock. The octopus resided with Craig most of the time, but will sometimes travel with Tweek when he went to see his parents (which wasn’t as often anymore). He had his own special tank in the living room that was big enough for him to swim freely in without feeling cramped, and Pluto loved his new tank. It was about the length of their couch, and about three feet deep, so it was a hefty tank to have in the living room. But Pluto was family, and so he’d be treated as so. Jack had bought them the tank as a house warming gift, and Tweek had a hard time removing the octopus from Jack that night when it was time for him to leave. There was no top on the tank, so Pluto was free to exit and enter it whenever he pleased, hence why he was joining Craig on the docks this morning. He was smart enough to know when he should go back in his tank, especially when company was over.

Craig looked up as he finished playing, sipping at his coffee and chuckling around the rim of the mug as he saw Tweek. His hair was still messy from sleep, but he always managed to have a glow about him regardless of his sleepy state. He waved to his husband, feeling his heart pound in his chest when he waved back. Grabbing the neck of his guitar, he held his elbow out to Pluto as he stood.

            “Come on, bud.” He murmured, Pluto grabbing on and crawling up to rest on Craig’s shoulder. He walked back to the house, Tweek in the kitchen when he walked in rummaging through the fridge.

            “There’s my handsome man.”

            “Me or Pluto?” Craig teased, wiggling his eyebrows. Tweek snorted, smacking his ass as he walked past to put his mug in the sink.

            “I meant you, but Pluto’s handsome, too.” He cooed, lifting the octopus off of Craig’s shoulder and cradling him. Pluto nuzzled into Tweek’s touch, his eyes closing as his arms wrapped around Tweek’s chest and neck. Craig smiled, putting his guitar back in its stand in the living room before coming back to the kitchen. He pushed past Tweek to reach into the fridge, grabbing an apple and taking a bite before plopping at the counter top, running a hand through his hair.

            “My parents want to come out with Tricia and see the finished house.” Tweek grabbed some eggs from the fridge, turning to look at Craig as he shut the fridge.

            “That’s okay! When were they thinking?”

            “This weekend,” Craig said around a mouthful of his apple. “Do you think your parents would want to come? I know they haven’t seen the house…or met my family.” Tweek blinked, thinking back to all the times he _swore_ his parents had met Craig’s.

            “They’ve met, right?! What about your show freshman-”

            “Nope. They weren’t there. How could they have come to a _land locked_ show?” Tweek puckered his lips as he thought.

            “Hmm…you have a point…” Craig chuckled and kissed his puckered lips as he walked past, tossing his apple core into the trash.

            “What, you don’t want your family to meet mine?”

            “No! Nono it’s not that! I just…they can be… _embarrassing_.” He mumbled, kicking his feet. Craig tangled a hand into Tweek’s curls, something he’s discovered calms him.

            “They’re wonderful. And they do it because they love you. Just like I do embarrassing shit and you still love me.”

            “You don’t do anything _that_ embarrassing.”

            “I just yelled koo-koo-ka-choo to a family passing by on a boat this morning.” Tweek let out a laugh, adjusting Pluto hanging from his neck.

            “That’s not embarrassing that’s funny.” He giggled, Craig taking Pluto off his chest so he could cook his breakfast.

            “If you say so.” He laughed, placing Pluto back in his tank as he noticed the cephalopod had drifted to sleep.

            “Red and Greg went on a date.” Tweek said from the kitchen as Craig sat in the living room. He blinked, looking at his husband from the living room.

            “She actually agreed to a date?!”

            “I was surprised, too. But they had a picnic in the middle of the ocean on the boat he rented.”

            “Romantic.” Not long after Greg realized he could be introduced to the cute mermaid he discovered was real, he pestered Tweek to introduce him to Red every time he saw him. _Finally_ , a few weeks later, Red followed Tweek to the house one night to introduce her to Greg. Red recalled the day fondly, having been watching Greg from a rock in the water. She found him charming and handsome, and that’s why she spent hours watching him do homework on the beach. The two instantly hit it off, Greg spending most of that evening bent over the edge of the dock in an effort to get closer to her. Red found it adorable, so the two planned to meet up again, one on one.

            “My friends are quite fond of humans.” Craig looked up from the magazine he was flipping through, eyebrows furrowed.

            “Aren’t…aren’t _you_?” Tweek snorted as he walked out to the living room with a plate of scrambled eggs, sitting next to Craig.

            “Well, _duh_. But I just think it’s funny that Butter’s and I gave up our tails for humans, and now Red might be as well. I never thought growing up that I’d do something like that.” Tweek held his fork out to Craig, his husband leaning over and taking the eggs off the fork without looking away from the article he was reading.

            “It’s funny how life works out, isn’t it?” Tweek smiled, biting onto his lip as he looked at Craig.

            “Yeah,” He took another bite of his breakfast, still staring at him. “Life works in crazy ways.”

* * *

The weekend rolled around, and boy, was Craig happy for it. Craig had found a job at a laboratory that was studying the migratory patterns of certain fish and sea mammals. They didn’t know that Craig could access sea life so easily, but that’s okay, because Craig didn’t want them to know. Because of his easy access to marine life, Craig is able to bring them the most accurate data, meaning they have him working the most hours. It was a double edge sword, because it was great in the sense he earned more money, but bad in the sense that he worked long days. Thankfully, he had Friday through Sundays off to compensate, and Craig thanks his boss mentally every time Thursday night rolls around. Coming home around eleven at night, Craig kicked his shoes off next to the door, locking it behind him before turning to go to the kitchen. He tugged the fridge open, smiling slowly as he saw a delicious plate of food saran wrapped in the fridge with a note on top of it. Pulling it out, he looked at the post it stuck on top with a tired smile.

            _Hopefully I’m still awake when you come upstairs, but here’s some food for my busy man! If I’m not awake, I hope you had a good day at work, and I love you very much!- Tweek xo_

Craig laughed softly at the note, pulling his wallet out and tucking it into it. He kept every note Tweek gave him, but he’d never directly say he does that. He wasn’t sure if it was weird or not, but Craig loves every note Tweek leaves behind. Unwrapping his food, Craig tossed the saran wrap in the trash before putting the plate in the microwave. While he waited for the food to cook, he grabbed a beer from the fridge, rummaging in the drawer for a bottle opener.

            “It’s in the dishwasher.” Craig jumped, turning to see a half asleep Tweek in the doorway. He chuckled, tugging the dishwasher open and grabbing the opener, popping the cap off and setting it aside.

            “Did I wake you when I came in?” Tweek shook his head, walking over and wrapping his arms tightly around his husband, who now leaned against the counter top as he sipped his Corona.

            “No…just couldn’t sleep. I heard you put the food in the microwave so I figured I’d join you.” He murmured into his chest, Craig smiling softly at that. He kissed the top of Tweek’s head, keeping his face there until the microwave went off. He set his beer down to grab the plate out of the microwave, Tweek handing him a fork with a tired smile.

            “Thanks.” He murmured, scooping a pile of mashed potatoes in his mouth. Tweek chuckled, taking a sip of Craig’s Corona.

            “It was my first attempt at a pot roast. I wanted to try a small one since I wanted to make it for your parents this weekend.” Craig hummed as he ate, clearly enjoying the cooking.

            “’s so good.” He slurred out, mouth full of mashed potatoes and pot roast. Tweek let out a soft laugh, smacking his arm.

            “Fucking chew your food, you pig.” Craig snorted, swallowing his food and then sipping his beer.

            “Have you talked to your parents about this weekend?” Tweek’s face fell a bit.

            “They, um…they said they’re not sure if they can make it.” He whispered, Craig frowning at how sad Tweek looked.

            “You okay?” He asked, setting his now empty plate into the sink before wrapping his arms back around Tweek.

            “’m fine…I just…sometimes I think my parents don’t like I live on land most of the time now…” Craig tangled his hand into Tweek’s hair in an effort to relax him.

            “Don’t think like that. Richard just opened his new business, right? So I’m sure that’s time consuming.” Tweek was silent for a moment after nodding, a small smile tugging at his lips.

            “ _Richard_. It’s so weird hearing you say his name.” Craig tugged on his hair playfully, enjoying the way Tweek’s face lit up.

            “What’s so weird about it?” He purred, placing a light kiss to Tweek’s now exposed neck.

            “Say it some more if that’s how you’ll react.” Tweek gasped, a grin crawling across his face.

            “…you want me to say your _father’s name_?” Craig laughed, glancing up at his husband. Tweek blinked, glaring at Craig.

            “ _Please_ forget I ever said that,” Craig grinned slowly, letting out a laugh as he kissed Tweek, hand not in his hair gripping at his lower back. Tweek giggled a bit against his lips, arms wrapping around his neck. Pulling away, Craig quickly chugged the last half of his beer, threw it into the recycles, and tossed Tweek over his shoulder, despite the protests from the blonde. Before speaking, Craig, of course, let out a loud belch from chugging his beer, Tweek smacking his ass. “Jesus Christ, Craig!” He laughed

            “Hush up will you? I’ve had a long day and it’s time for sex.” Tweek grinned, resting his chin on the palm of his hand, his other hand supporting the arm holding his head up.

            “Sex, huh? You think I’m _in the mood_ after you just chugged that beer and belched?” He screamed in surprise as Craig tossed him onto the bed, grinning up at Craig as he crawled on top of him.

            “I do think you’re in the mood.” Tweek puffed his cheeks out, toes wiggling as he tried to fight the urge to kiss the stupid smug look of Craig’s face.

            “Nope! Not at all.” Craig shrugged, flopping onto the bed next to him.

            “Oh well!” He tugged his pants off, Tweek yelping as he saw his boxers go with them.

            “What are you _doing_?!”

            “Well, _I’m_ still horny, so _somebody’s_ gotta get me off, and I _guess_ it’s gonna be _me_.” Craig whined, Tweek licking his lips at the thought of just _letting_ Craig jerk off next to him. But he couldn’t, because he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t horny.

            “God, you’re _impatient_! Can you _wait_ five minutes?” Craig thought a moment, before sighing.

            “ _Fine_ , but I’m already hard, so hurry up.”

            “You’re so fucking pushy!” Tweek yelled over his shoulder as he rushed into their bathroom. Craig tried to distract himself, because it as agony sitting there with his husband so close yet so far. Reaching for his phone out of the pocket of his discarded pants, Craig scrolled through his phone, grinning as he decided to play music in an effort to distract himself. Happy with his selection of _Cum on Feel the Noiz_ by Quiet Riot, Craig sat up in bed, leaning his head back against headboard as he let his body do _anything_ to the beat of the song as he sang. He was painfully hard, and Tweek making him _wait_ was not helping his cause. After what felt like an eternity, Craig opened his eyes as he heard the bathroom door open, the lyrics of the chorus getting caught in his throat as he saw his husband leaning against the doorway in a black mesh outfit that exposed _every inch_ of Tweek’s chest and stomach. It was high neck, the material around his neck more lacey. Craig noticed it became a pair of black briefs that had lace along the hips, garters attaching to fishnet leggings. His mouth felt dry as he dumbly reached for his phone, trying to turn the music off. Tweek shook his head, the lyrics ringing in Craig’s ear.

            _So cum on feel the noize_

_Girls rock your boys_

_We’ll get wild, wild, wild_

_Wild, wild, wild_

Tweek sauntered over to his husband, a grin on his face as he straddled Craig’s lap, noticing the way his chest rapidly raised and fell.

            “Where-where, uh, when did you get this?” He croaked out, eyes fluttering shut as Tweek started unbuttoning his shirt.

            “The last time Wendy, Heidi, and Bebe were in town,” He whispered in his ear, nipping lightly on the lobe. He smiled as he felt Craig’s leg kick under him. “Our anniversary is coming up…so I wanted to do _something_.”

            “Do-do _me_. _Fuck_ , you look incredible.” Craig groaned, his hands going everywhere they could across Tweek’s body. Tweek grinned slowly, leaning back and pushing Craig’s shirt off his shoulders.

            “I still want to be the bottom…but I want to _be on top_.” Craig let out a choked moan, head rolling back into the pillow as he nodded.

            “ _Fuck_ , I love it when you’re this confident.” He moaned, Tweek not even doing _anything_ and his husband is already putty in his hands. Tweek grinned a little wider, humming softly as he started undoing the garters.

            “How slow do you wanna take this?”

            “Not-not at all.”

            “Mmm. I had a feeling you’d say that.” Craig blinked.

            “Tweek, what does that mean?”

            “I may have…gotten _bored_ earlier.” Craig stared at his husband, slowly taking in a breath as he licked his lips.

            “Did…you… _finger_ yourself?” Tweek hummed as he took off the fishnets, wiggling his hips to get the tight brief’s off.

            “Well, I _am_ in heat, so it was easy.” Craig couldn’t stop the hand that flew to his dick, groaning at the friction he was so desperately craving. Tweek watched him, eyes darkening slightly as he watched Craig get himself off. Quickly returning to his position on top of Craig, Tweek leaned down and kissed him, Craig groaning into his mouth as he ran his free hand over Tweek’s chest.

            “You’re so _fucking hot_.” Craig managed to groan out, the words resonating within Tweek for some reason. It wasn’t the first time Craig has told him he was hot, but he didn’t say it often, so each time made Tweek feel _so confident_ and _good_. With a grin on his face, Tweek quickly lined himself up with Craig’s cock, watching how Craig’s mouth slowly fell open the more Tweek sunk down onto him. Craig wasn’t sure what to do with his hands, so he opted to put them on Tweek’s hips, his face turned into the pillow. With a surge of confidence, Tweek reached out, grabbing Craig’s jaw to force him to look at him as he slowly started to fuck himself on Craig’s dick. Tweek was in awe as he actually heard Craig _whimper_ underneath him, this new found confidence something he hadn’t realized he needed. Tweek hummed as he continued a steady rhythm, leaning down and pressing a gentle kiss to Craig’s lips as he still held his jaw.

            “You deserve this.” He whispered, Craig’s eyes fluttering shut as he let his arms wrap around Tweek’s waist. He’s right, he _does_ deserve this. Craig works hard to the point where they haven’t really been able to be intimate, and Craig hates that about his job. Romance and intimacy are important to him, and although he’d never admit that to anyone but Tweek, it was killing him that work has been taken time away from him like this. So yes, Craig Tucker decided _he does deserve this_. He opened his eyes as he felt the weight of his husband lift off his chest, instead replaced by his hands to steady himself. Craig eventually found himself smiling up at Tweek, soft moans still falling from his lips as he watched him. Reaching down, he started to touch him in time with Tweek’s rhythm, watching the man on top of him falter slightly at the sudden contact.

            “I got you.” He whispered to reassure him, Tweek letting his eyes close. Craig has said those words to him time and time again while intimate. ‘ _I got you_ ’. It was so simple, but yet it meant the world to Tweek. The blonde gasped as he realized Craig had started moving his hips in time with the pace Tweek set up, a moan tumbling from his mouth as he moved himself faster. He needed this release. Craig needed this release. Before they both could say anything, their names were ripped from each other’s mouths as they came, both gasping as they tried to catch their breath from the intensity of their orgasm. Tweek collapsed next to Craig in the bed, eyes half lidded as he buried his face into his shoulder, a lazy grin on his face. With a grunt, Craig peeled himself from the comfort of his bed to wash himself off, Tweek humming as he realized music was still playing.

            _She turned around to look at me_

_As I was walkin’ away_

_I heard her say over my shoulder_

_We’ll meet again some day_

_On the avenue_

_Tangled up in blue_

Craig came back out, humming along softly to the Bob Dylan song as he laid back down next to Tweek.

            “You okay?” The blonde asked, a tired smile on his face. Craig had a similar tired smile, nodding.

            “I’m more than okay,” He wrapped his arm tightly around Tweek from behind, glancing over his shoulder to watch the waves in the distance like he does each night, “I’m perfect.”

* * *

          “ _Fuck_!” Craig jolted awake, wiping the drool off his cheek as he turned to see Tweek stumbling out of bed.

            “Wh’?” He asked, still half asleep.

            “Your parents are coming in an hour, we over slept!” Craig rubbed his eyes, looking at the alarm clock. _Twelve thirty eight_. Cursing under his breath, Craig jumped out of bed, shaking his head in an effort to wake himself up, quickly jumping into the shower. He opted for a cold shower to help wake himself up, and _God_ , did it work. Getting out of the shower, Craig quickly made their bed before getting dressed, toweling his hair dry and rushing downstairs. Tweek had already straightened up the living room and cleaned the kitchen up, but he still needed to clean himself.

            “Go get showered, I’ll finish cleaning,” Craig said, kissing his cheek as he started unloading the dishwasher. Tweek quickly thanked him before rushing up the steps to get ready, Craig finishing the dishes relatively quickly. He looked over as he heard splashing, Pluto leaning over the edge of his tank. With a smile, Craig rummaged through the freezer for some bits of crab, clam, and shrimp they had prepared as food for Pluto. He quickly popped it in the microwave to dethaw it, taking the handful of food and dropping it in the tank for him. “There you go, bud. You good?” The octopus patted his cheek before diving under the water to eat, Craig taking the time to sit and strum idly on his guitar as he tried to kill the little bit of spare time he had. As Tweek came down the steps, there was a knock on the door, Tweek furrowing his brows as he looked at Craig.

            “Guess they’re a little early.” He mumbled, heading to the door to let the Tucker’s in. Tugging the door open, he blinked as he came face to face with _his parents_.

            “Surprise!” They both said at the same time, Craig blinking as he recognized the voices. Tweek blinked, a smile slowly spreading across his face.

            “M-mom…dad?” He breathed out, Mary wrapping her arms tightly around him.

            “We’re here, my sweet boy!” She giggled, Craig blinking as he realized _they had legs_.

            “Craig!” Richard said with a grin as he came up to the door, Craig smiling a bit as he shook his father-in-law’s hand.

            “Good to see you, Richard.” He breathed out, trying to put together how they’re both on land. _They both wouldn’t give up their tails like that_. Tweek finally noticed it, too, his eyes widening.

            “Wait…you…y-you both-”

            “Have legs?” Mary finished with a grin, Richard wrapping an arm around her as they entered the house. Craig shut the door as Tweek walked in with his parents, the taller man falling the family.

            “Y-Yes! How-how is this _possible_?!” Tweek said, fingers tangling into his hair. Craig noticed it, tugging Tweek’s fingers out and replacing it with his own, because he knew he wouldn’t pull out Tweek’s hair like Tweek would. Richard looked at Mary and chuckled.

            “How do you think we knew so much about human and mermaid relationships?” Tweek blinked, looking up from his lap slowly.

            “You…?” Richard chuckled, eyes casting towards Mary.

            “Your mother. I fell in love with her while she was on the beach one day. I knew she saw me. I panicked and fled before she could stand up. But…I had to see her again. So, that night, I returned in hopes she would still be there…and she was.” Mary blushed, a smile on her face.

            “I saw him, and I swore to my friends I saw what I saw. They didn’t believe me, but I wanted to find out for sure. I stayed on that beach all day, even after my friends left me. Just as I was about to leave, I felt like someone was watching me…and sure enough…your father came back.” Tweek’s eyes were wide as he listened to his parents talk. It was a lot to take in, but then again, it somehow all made sense.

            “She gave up life on land after her parents tragically died in a house fire…” Richard explained, a sad smile on his face. Mary smiled sadly as well, nodding.

            “There was nothing left for me on land. Sure, I had my friends, but they wouldn’t last forever. Your father…I knew he was something special, so after we… _consummated_ our love in the waters and I got my tail…I just decided to stay in the ocean with him. I know we could’ve come to Colorado when we found out you were there, but it was too risky to leave the new reef. We were almost captured ourselves, and everyone was so shaken up…I hope-I hope you understand that, sweetie.” Mary cupped Tweek’s face in her hands, her son nodding.

            “No, I-I understand…I wouldn’t have wanted you two getting captured and sent somewhere…”

            “Even if we transformed our tails into legs, they would’ve done horrible tests on us.” Richard said, a frown on his face.

            “It’s okay,” Tweek whispered, grabbing each of his parent’s hands. “I-It’s okay. I’m not mad. It’s just…a lot of information.”

            “I know, and on our first visit to _your new home_!” Mary squealed, standing up. “Give us a tour, sweetie! I’d love to see the place! It’s so _you two_!” She giggled, Richard chuckling as he stood up with Tweek. Craig smiled a bit as he watched Tweek whisk his parents off for a tour of their home, heading towards the door as he heard a knock. Opening the door, he found his family standing there, grins on their faces. He smiled at them, hugging his mother as she walked past.

            “Hey mom.”

            “Hey Mr. _Homeowner_.” She teased, a grin on her face as she walked into the home and started looking around. Craig snorted, giving his dad a hug as he walked in.

            “So you finished it, huh?”

            “As you can see, yes.”

            “Smartass.” Thomas chuckled, Tricia punching his arm as she walked past. She had just finished her freshman year at University of Colorado-Boulder.

            “Sup, nerd.” She chuckled, Craig flipping her off as she walked into the house.

            “Remember, _brat_ , you’re in _my house_.” He teased, a grin crawling across both their faces. Tricia immediately rushed over to Pluto’s tank, the octopus excited to see a familiar face. Craig joined his parents in the kitchen while his sister talked to Pluto, Laura looking over her shoulder as she grabbed a soda from the fridge.

            “Where’s Tweek?” She asked, Craig snorting.

            “Just making yourself at home, huh?” Laura flicked the side of his head, Craig letting out a laugh.

            “You made yourself at home in my home for eighteen years, brat.”

            “You had children!”

            “You’re making me wish I hadn’t.” She teased, pinching his side. He grinned, sitting at the island after passing a beer to his dad and grabbing one for himself.

            “He’s…showing his parents the home.” Thomas blinked, sipping his beer.

            “ _His parents_?”

            “Turns out his mom was human, so they can both go on land and sea like me.” Craig had eventually let his parents know in a casual conversation that was now part mermaid. They took it better than he thought. It happened over dinner, Craig casually mentioning it and his parents just nodded and asked to be shown some time. No yelling, no questions, just accepting it at this point. Thomas hummed, nodding.

            “That must’ve been quite the surprise.” He laughed, and Craig nodded.

            “It definitely was.” Laura smiled a bit as she heard footsteps coming down the steps, Tricia grinning and rushing over to hug Tweek.

            “Tweek!” She giggled, the blonde grinning into her hair.

            “Hey love bug!” He giggled, Tricia pulling away and blushing a bit as she realized Tweek wasn’t alone.

            “Oh! H-Hi, I’m Tricia!” She said, sticking her hand out. Mary grinned, cupping her face in her hands.

            “I’m Mary, and this is my husband Richard.” Richard gave her shoulder a squeeze.

            “I take it your Craig’s sister?” She snorted.

            “What gave it away?”

            “The smile.” Mary said, and Tricia blushed a bit more. Laura walked out into the living area with Thomas and Craig not far behind, Mary grinning as she saw them.

            “Mary and Richard, huh? I’ve heard so much about you. It’s a pleasure to finally put some faces to the names.” Laura said, sticking her hand out. Mary happily took it, giving it a squeeze as she shook it.

            “The same can be said to you two,” Mary chuckled, looking at Thomas. “ _My_ , I see where Craig gets his looks from.” She said, the similarities between the father and son so obvious when they’re standing next to each other. Despite the hair color, it’s very obvious they were father and son. Thomas chuckled, taking Richard’s hand.

            “It’s a pleasure to meet you both.” Tweek had made his way over to Craig, leaning up on his tip toes to whisper into his ear.

            “They like each other!” Craig snickered, whispering back into his ear.

            “Of course, Tweek, it’s not like they wouldn’t.” Tweek rolled his eyes with a smile, the pair watching their in-laws talk with each other. Suddenly, Tweek gasped and rushed into the kitchen.

            “ _Shit!”_ They all watched the blonde whirlwind that was Tweek rush around the kitchen, Mary smiling a bit.

            “Tweek, sweetie, you okay?”

            “No! I forgot I needed to start prepping for dinner early since it takes all day to cook!”

            “What’s for dinner, son?” Richard asked, his curiosity peaked.

            “Pot roast and mashed potatoes!” Thomas and Richard both inhaled, sighing happily at the mention of such a dinner.

            “Ohhh that sounds fantastic.” Thomas practically groaned, Mary and Laura smiling as they walked into the kitchen.

            “Let us help then!” Laura said, Mary already grabbing the roast from Tweek’s hand and setting it on the counter. He blushed.

            “Nonono it’s okay! It’ll just be a little later than anticipated!” He breathed out, cheeks red.

            “Tweek,” Mary said, giving his hand a squeeze. “When do we ever get to cook together?” She asked, and Tweek calmed at that. With a smile on his face and his nerves calmed, Tweek happily accepted the help from his mother and mother-in-law, and it was the perfect way to spend his Friday afternoon.

* * *

 

            “So this is how coffee is _meant_ to be enjoyed?” Richard asked, eyes wide as he sipped at his mug of coffee after a delicious meal. They were all sitting outside, enjoying the summer California air and some coffee over the desserts that Mary insisted on making while the pot roast cooked. Craig will never deny Mary from entering his kitchen if she always makes the pastries she made. He wasn’t even sure how she made them with the ingredients in their cabinets, a moan escaping his lips as he bit into it once more.

            “Is your mermaid power cooking?” He asked around a mouthful of pastry, Laura laughing at the question. Mary did too, giving her husband’s hand a squeeze. He was so excited over his cup of coffee.

            “My mother had a bakery, so she taught me every recipe she thought she had perfected. It was something I just always remembered about her. My powers actually change with the seasons, much like Richard’s.” Craig hummed, nodding slowly.

            “Do _you_ have powers, Craig?” Tricia asked, humming around her own dessert. Craig looked at her, Tricia’s eyes widening as she could no longer move her hand closer to her mouth.

            “Does _that_ answer your question?”

            “Craig, don’t control your sister!” Tweek swatted his chest, the impact causing Craig to break his gaze on Tricia.

            “Yeah, Craig, don’t control me, my _God!_ ” She yelled, quickly finishing her pastry in case he tried anything again. Mary chuckled.

            “I see you got _that_ power from Tweek?”

            “I can also control water and walk on it…freaked my friends pretty good.” Richard let out a laugh, standing and walking to a small patch of dirt that was under a tree. He waved his hand over the patch, flowers quickly blooming. Tweek blinked, his eyes widening.

            “In the summer time, I can control the water that’s trapped in things, as well as water in general. If it happens to be soil, I can bring life to any flower seeds that might be trapped in it.”

            “What about the other seasons?” Thomas asked, Mary smiling.

            “In the fall, we can manipulate the weather. If the water starts to get too cold, we have the ability to warm it up.”

            “In the winter, it can get dangerous because there’s an increase in fishermen looking for certain crabs. We have the ability to create creatures out of water if we find ourselves in danger. The fall and winter are mainly for survival since they’re the hardest months in the ocean.” Richard explained.

            “And the spring…the spring is my favorite,” Mary smiled. “In the spring, we have the ability to transform our bodies into water, so that way if we want to enjoy a nice swim without being caught, we blend into the water. We also gain our ability to control water in the spring as well, that lasting through the summer.” Mary finished, Tweek smiling a bit. He had never really heard his parents talk about his powers before. They were always so preoccupied with helping Tweek learn and control his that they never showed him.

            “Tweek’s powers have to do with his emotions.” Tweek blushed, smiling a bit.

            “Dad…” He whined.

            “It’s interesting, almost all mermaids have powers based on the seasons, but Tweek was the first to have them based on his emotions in our group of mermaids.” Richard explained, the blonde blinking.

            “I…really?”

            “That’s why we tried so hard to help you through puberty,” Mary giggled, Tweek blushing more. Craig wrapped an arm around him, chuckling. “You were very emotional during puberty, and we think part of it has to do with your powers. When he cries, the water freezes. When he gets mad, the water boils. When he’s depressed, the water darkens around him so he can be alone. If he grows anxious in open waters, the tide starts going every which direction,” Mary hummed, running her hand through Tweek’s curls. “He was brilliant, my boy. He still is.” Thomas chuckled, running his hand up Craig’s back.

            “Craig was pretty angry during puberty…and sad. As he got older, his hearing just continued to get worse and worse. By the time he was sixteen, he was fully deaf.”

            “Ah, yes. I remember Craig mentioning that to us when we met him.” Richard said, smiling sadly.

            “We weren’t sure what to do. I mean, what do you tell your deaf son? That it’s going to be _okay?_ It wasn’t! My poor baby boy was struggling and there wasn’t much we could do besides be patient with him and use sign language at home as often as possible.” Laura said, Craig staring at his feet as she played with his hair.

            “But…Tweek really helped our son,” Tweek looked at Thomas, smiling a bit. “This…aura he gives off that allows him to hear…it’s been incredible. Craig has grown more in the past four years than he has since…well, ever! It’s been an absolute pleasure welcoming your son into our family…and I thank you both for him.” Tweek let out a shaky breath as he wrapped his arms around Thomas, the taller man chuckling and ruffling his hair.

            “We should be thanking you!” Mary said, looking at Richard and giving his hand a squeeze. “You took care of our boy when we couldn’t after he was caught, and as parents, I’m sure you understand the stress of not knowing if your kid is safe or not,” Both the Tucker parents nodded, Laura reaching out and placing her hand on top of Mary’s. “We just…can’t thank you both enough. You didn’t have to take care of him and welcome him with open arms, but you did, and we thank you. We will _always_ thank you.” Mary’s voice had fallen to a whisper, Tweek smiling at his parents as he walked over to sit between them. Craig smiled a bit at them, leaning his chin over his mother’s shoulder. Laura turned and pressed a gentle kiss to his nose, her son humming in content. Laura chuckled, looking at the three people sitting in front of her. That blonde boy with the pointed ears and impossibly big eyes smiled at her, her heart swelling as she realized how much he’s really done for her son.

            “It has been our absolute pleasure welcoming him into our lives.”

* * *

Tossing and turning, Craig found himself unable to sleep that night, his mind constantly buzzing. Wincing, his mind flashed back to that day almost thirteen years ago, Craig swearing he felt the cool ocean water hitting his side as he fell overboard. He needed to get some air. Maybe that would help him sleep. Pushing the blankets aside, Craig crept over to the balcony door, opening it and walking outside. He was surprised to see Tweek leaning against the railing, chin resting on the crook of his elbow. Craig chuckled at the sight, walking over and wrapping his arms around him from behind.

            “Can’t sleep either?” He murmured, the blonde humming softly as he turned around and buried his face into Craig’s neck.

            “Yeah…all this talk of the past made me think about it.”

            “Me too.” He murmured into his hair, holding him close. Craig took a moment to glance out at the water, watching the moonlight dance over the surface of the water.

            “Craig?”

            “Hmm?” Tweek pulled away, his cheeks a light pink as he swallowed hard.

            “This is a random question…but…why do you always say ‘ _I got you_ ’ when we’re intimate? I’m-I’m not made you say it! I’m just…curious.” Craig blinked, not really _knowing_ why he says it. With a wince, he closed his eyes as he flashed back to that day, hearing a tiny voice speak to him.

            “ _Shhh, it’s okay,”_ Craig’s eyes fluttered open as he realized why. “ _I’m going to help you.”_ He’s heard the tiny voice of his husband speak in the back of his mind for thirteen years, and now he knows why he says ‘ _I got you_ ’.

            “Do you remember the day we met?” He whispered, Tweek smiling up at him.

            “I…of course! I saved you, after all.”

            “That’s why.” Tweek blinked.

            “What?”

            “Your exact words to me were _‘Shhh, it’s okay,’”_ Craig cupped Tweek’s face in his hands, making him lock eyes with him. “ _‘I’m going to help you_ ’. Those are the _exact words_ you said to me. You were _going to help me_. You… _you had me_. You pushed me up to the surface when I couldn’t manage to get there on my own. That’s why I say it, because _you had me_ , and in return, _I got you._ ” Tweek blinked, letting out a shaky breath as it all made sense to him now. Overwhelmed by a wave of emotions, Tweek let out a soft sob, but he smiled as he tossed his arms around Craig’s neck. Rubbing his hands up and down Tweek’s back, Craig smiled softly into his shoulder. Here he was, twenty three years old, already married to the love of his life in _their_ home. Sure, Crag had a hard upbringing, unable to hear the world for most of his life. But now? Life was different. Life wasn’t so quiet anymore, and Craig was more than okay with that.

            “Shh, it’s okay,” He whispered, swallowing the lump that suddenly appeared in his throat. He let out a soft laugh as he looked out to the ocean, thankful for everything it has given him. Turning his gaze back to the man in his arms, Tweek pulled away to look at him, both smiling at each other. Craig chuckled softly, leaning their foreheads together. Despite being able to hear everything now that Tweek was permanently in his life, Craig wanted no one else to hear what he had to say. So he whispered, but even that spoke volumes to Tweek:

            “I got you.”

           

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT IS COMPLETE! Thank you all SO MUCH for the love and support you gave me during the writing of this fic. This fanfiction has grown in popularity in ways that I couldn't even imagine, and I'm so proud of this piece of work, and I can't thank you all enough for the kindness you have showed me! This is only the second fic I have ever completed, and I'm so proud of this piece of work. Thank you all again, I seriously cannot thank you all enough for taking the time to read this silly fic! I will return in a few weeks with another fic (lets see how long my break lasts this time) and I think you're all gonna like this next one ;) As always my loves, any and all feedback is appreciated! Until next time!-Summer <3 
> 
> Songs:  
> Mrs. Robinson-Simon & Garfunkel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9C1BCAgu2I8  
> Cum on Feel the Noiz-Quiet Riot: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQ5mygB97nM  
> Tangled Up In Blue-Bob Dylan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4OHOGMeNOM


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